Where Shadows Lie
by Japkot
Summary: Enter the Harry Potter universe, only this time it wont be only The-Boy-Who-Lived, there will be Max Potter, his twin. They're both destined for greatness but how they achieve it will be drastically different. So delve deep readers, for this will be an unusual story for an unusual boy... [Under Hiatus for troubles of reconnecting with the fandom]
1. Prologue

**Its Harry Potter! Only not exactly... Its Maxwell too! His story is a rather sad one im afraid. His first years will be goody but his later years will be where the sadness begins...**

 **Disclaimer: All Hail J.K. Rowling owner of every piece of lore this story has to offer! (Expect Max!)**

* * *

 _ **Appearance:**_

 _ **The twins are pretty much the same except some certain points which I will point out:**_

 _ **Red Hair, messy like his brother's.**_

 _ **Green eyes, "his mothers eyes..."**_

 _ **A more**_ ** _musclemen body. Just to spite Dudley! Cause fuck Dudley!_**

* * *

 **Maxwell's PoV:**

Ten years it had been!

Ten years of unadulterated torture it had been with the Dursleys. In which we were crammed into a cupboard under the stairs, underfed, tortured by our _beloved_ cousin(until I grew to defend myself) forced into the shabbiest of hand-me-downs and the _worst_ actual, job, of, cooking.

Oh oh, I forgot to mention Harry!

My younger twin and my only family. I don't count the other ones living in the house, we -privately- disowned them like 5 years ago. Harry was tiny, he even looked tinier because he was dressed in the hand-me-downs from our whale-in-law. His hair was like mine but its color was black-inherited from our father, I had asked.- and has green eyes that took after our mother-Aunt Petunia had those eyes- but unlike me he has glasses. Which were taped by, like all the tape in the world.

Freakin' Dudley.

Oh! Oh, I almost forgot! He has an awesome lightning shaped scar! It was slightly slanted to the right. But he always covered it with his hair, when I had asked him why he did that he said he didn't like people staring at it. True, he hated attention. The Dursleys said that he got that scar from the car crash that took our parents away from us. But it was rather odd seeing it that the scar was too _clean_ to have been gotten on a car crash. But we weren't allowed to ask questions with the Dursleys. So we had to fill in the blanks ourselves.

Not a good idea.

"Up! You two! Get up! Now!" Our Aunt's shouts filled the room-hmph!- and Harry shot up from the bed. He was always more obedient of the two of us, me you say? I couldn't care what that fat bastards say.

I had already done the usual routine, I was just waiting for the usual alarm clock-Aunt Petunia- to wake Harry up. He should know what today was. I mean I woke up with a familiar dread feeling but I couldn't place what it was yet. He muttered a quick 'morning' to me and dressed up as Aunt Petunia was still screaming through the door.

"Well, get a move on," She answered at Harry who was wearing his stinking socks. "I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday." _Oh._

Goddammit.

Cue the groans from the wonder twins.

"What did you say?" she snapped through the door.

I put on a sickeningly sweet voice and answered "Nothing, just groans of disgust!" I could hear her cursing under her breath. But unlike Harry, they could not punsih me for my 'adolescence'. Whenever they tried to lay a hand on me in any way, it burns them. Like _burn_ burns them, it practically sizzles their skin! Weird right? It only happens with Dursleys.

Guess it only happens to people I hate...

Friggin' Awesome!

After Harry finished dressing, we got up and went to the kitchen. Harry quickly scrambled away to the oven to cook the birthday breakfast while I plopped down on the table that was hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents uncaring. That brat! He gets all the friggin things in the world! I mean look! There's that new computer that Dudley wailed about how he wanted it, some little boxes that probably held expensive jewelry pieces, A second TV! And look at that! Is that a race bike! The fat sod couldn't even ride that!

Then I noticed the smoke that was rising from one of the presents.

Whoa!

I quickly stopped myself before Uncle Whale-non-who was yelling to Harry about his hair- noticed. They couldn't throw me into the cupboard, but they surely can threaten to beat up Harry if I didn't got in there.

No one wants that...

I must admit, I am jealous of Dudley, not the fat, waily, spoiled, sod that he was. But his family, he got to have the family that Harry and I never got to have. He had everything we never had. And we couldn't do anything about it.

Anyway stop with the Angst train!

The smell of frying eggs had filled the kitchen by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much of a neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Freakin' pig that had a wig on...

Harry brought the breakfast to the table and we started eating. And a rather angry Dudley spoke up "Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year." Uh oh...

Dudley can count!?

"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see," She pointed at the computer package "It's here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy."

"All right, thirty-seven then," He said rather angrily. like really angrily, his face was looking like the balls you use in dodgeball-PUN!- Harry began mashing his face on the plate he was eating while I calmly lifted my plate from the table and continued eating while watching the scene unfold before me.

Dudley's temper tantrums tend to be quite funny.

Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today." Ah dang-it! "How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right''

Dudley started using all his brain cells on thinking about Aunt Petunia's offer. After a while-did it really take that long?- he started "So I'll have thirty ... thirty..." Oh. That's a no to that question.

"Thirty-nine. You glob." I supplied with a smirk. Glob sounded good! It was like a mixture of fatness and stupidity, which both can be said for Dudley.

Harry nudged me and snapped me out of my insane-mind-talking(don't judge me!) while pointing at Uncle Whale-non who was glaring me to death. That was the usual folks, me being 'disrespectful' to Dudley and him murdering me with his eyeballs, Harry casually pointing it out, Dudley just fuming silently because Uncle Vernon forbidded him to touch me 'Don't want you getting hurt' he had said to him. Aunt Petunia just looked resigned with life.

By the way where is she?

There's no way she'll not be with his 'Ickle Duddykins' all the way through his birthday.

"Sooo.." Harry started, he had that 'i am bored to death' look on his face. "What do you think we will do today then?" He was talking about our upcoming hours with the Old Cooty Cat Lady. I just shrugged, she will probably show photos of every cat in existence which will bore us to death.

Aunt Petunia sauntered into the kitchen rather unhappily "Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take them." That was another topic they never say our names like eve-

Wait! Whoa!

Broken leg!?

More importantly, cant take them!?

Double Woah!

Dudley's mouth snapped open in horror, I was practically jumping in my seat! Sanity be damned!

Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents always take him and one of his friends out for the day, to adventure park, restaurants, or the cinema. An they left me and, Harry behind with Mrs. Figg, the cooty old cat lady who lived two streets away. We practically hate it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage-ew!- and Mrs. Figg made us look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned. One time I 'disrespected' one of her cats and she set her one me! Don't laugh okay! I didn't know what to think that day. But I sure did get locked in the cupboard.-sorry our _room_ -

"Now what?" Snipped Aunt Petunia shooting us a vicious look that shouts 'i dont like you'.

"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested. God no! That woman is the worse!

"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates them." I scoffed at this and they all glared at me like they knew what was going through my mind. But to be openminded about our relationship with Aunt Marge it was 'mutual' because it was.

"What about what's-her-name, your friend - Yvonne?" Who the hell is that? Just scratch that question, anybody named Yvonne doesn't deserve to be acknowledged, it sounded like a detergent!

"On vacation in Majorca," She answered angirily.

Pfft...

"You could just leave us you know." I said, uncaring because the situation was clear. They would take us with them or take a chance with leaving us alone. But if they left us at the house for a change. We could raid Dudley's stuff. Because, damn he was loaded!

"And come back and find the house in cinders?" She snapped at me while I just stared at him. She cursed under her breath. She did that a lot, I'm assuming its because of me.

No reason...

"We won't blow up the house," Harry tried to reason weakly, but like always they weren't listening.

"I suppose we could take them to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, like she was thinking about solving a first world problem, though judging by the way they treat us I wont be surprised if they thought of us as one. "... and leave him in the car..." Wow.

Outstanding...

"That car's new," Uncle Vernon pointed out "They're not sitting in it all by themselves."

And what happened after that was a real shock.(Not really)

Dudley began to cry loudly. But that wasn't real crying it had been years since that fat bastard actually cried and that had been because he was burned by me. But the sod knew that if he turned his face to its real shape and wail loudly, his mother would give him anything in the world.

"Dinky Duddydums," I burst into laughter at that one. Really now? That was another thing to embarrass Dudley about, "Don't cry, Mummy won't let them spoil your special day!" she vowed passionately, flinging her arms around in a hug.

Real Mature...

Harry gave me a hopeful glance, he really wanted to do something for today it seemed. Though I suspected his reaction was to spite Dudley. My brother hated Dudley with such a passion that he did stupid things just to spite him.

Meanwhile, Dudley was still crying...

Shocker...

"I... don't... want... them... t-t-to come!" Dudley cried between fake sobbing. "Harry always sp- spoils everything!" That one was for sure real. But even our presence was enough to spoil every bit of fun they had, but hey! I am not judging. Because it was mutual. He then pointed at me. "And he threatens me!." Which was true. The crybaby shot us a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.

I pointed at one of his unwrapped presents (it looked like a computer game) and smoke started coming out of it. Dudley immediately ceased his sobbing and looked at me horrified. I stopped after that. I didn't know how that happened but it was rather instinctual.

Before I had time to ponder on that the doorbell rang. "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically and ran to the door. There was Dudley's friend of the b-day which glob was it today?

It was Piers Polkiss.

He had walked into the kitchen with his mother. He was scrawny with a face like a rat. He is usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. We had started a rivalry at the very beginning of school. It was at the point of blows.

They so planned this!

* * *

It had been half an hour before we left the house.

Uncle Vernon had pulled us over and threatened us. He had said something along the lines of "Any funny business, and you to will be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."

We had sworn that we wouldn't do anything. Because neither one of us wanted that. Despite me acting like i am invincible, they could threaten Harry if i didn't comply and after learning that i was the older twin i had swore that no harm would happen to him on my watch. Uncle Vernon didn't looked like he believed us. But no one ever did anyway.

Harry looked like he had won the lottery, he was grinning like a mad person which could be trouble. Uncle Whale-non didn't like it when we were happy. That was a strict rule. Frigging' Dursleys. Looking at it like this he must have hated everyone's happiness but his own family's.

At this moment he was particularly unhappy with a couple of bikers. ""Effing roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said angrily when a couple of Bikers passed us.

Harry suddenly spoke up "I had a dream about a motorcycle," He said, looking like he was remembering a far away memory. "It was flying." Oh _Goddammit_.

Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"

I face-palmed, _hard_...

"I know they don't," said Harry throwing a glare at me. "It was only a dream." He defended himself. We both knew that if there was one more thing that the Dursleys hated even more out questions, it was talking about anything or acting in a way we shouldn't, no matter a dream or a cartoon I don't know why.

Perhaps it has got to do something with our 'weird talents'.

* * *

It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with a lot of families. Ever the kind Dursleys had bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, but when they couldn't get us out of there fast enough they had to buy us cheap lemon pops. It wasn't _that_ bad, But lemon definitely wasn't my flavor. Do they plan this? Because if they do note my least favorite of everything we are going to come to blows sooner than ever.

At least there was Harry. who pointed out a rather _familiar_ looking gorilla to me. I was putting a brave face for Harry, he looked like he was having the best day of his life. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers wouldn't start a problem.

We ate in the zoo restaurant, and then-of course- Dudley had thrown a-nother- tantrum because his Knickerbocker glory(the hell are those?) didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and gave the rest to us. I had given it to Harry, he deserved to have one nice day.

Apparently that was too much to ask.

After lunch they brought us to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in here, all along the walls there were cool looking lights. Behind the glasses, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. They were looking so inexplicably _magnificent_. That even i, who was not good with animals, staring at them with awe.

Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley-surprisingly- quickly found the largest snake in the place. It was so big that it could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can.

But, it was asleep.

Dudley was standing with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the brown coils."Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.

Of course it wouldn't.

Fat Bastards.

"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass really hard with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on. That snake was my new best friend. He was just like me ignore the Dursleys. Which left the snake by itself when Dudley decided it was boring.

I moved closer to the the cage with sympathy, that snake had it worse than us. Fat bastards like Dudley disturbing his rest...

I really had a short fuse today...

Maybe because its Dudley's birthday.

I jumped when Harry started _hissing_ at the snake. Not like the kids fake like just saying 's' all over again. It was like he was talking snakeish.

I nudged Harry "What are you doing!?" I whisper-yelled at him. He was about to answer me, but the snake rose up, he got on to our eye level and...

Did that snake just wink at us?

Weird...

It nodded towards our Uncle and Dudley with an exasperated expression. It seems like he was quite sick of his treatment in this zoo. I mean it wasn't that different from our life. But at least we had a little freedom.

"Did you hear that!?" Harry asked me excitedly.

"You _hissing_ at the snake?" I asked, dumbfounded. Why was he asking me that? Can he understand the snake? If that was the case, we were beyond hopeless at this point. This abilities keep popping up everywhere! Dursleys wont be able to keep track of them...

Like really it was like magic.

Suddenly Pierss started shouting "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY!" He shouted, calling for them, "COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!" we instantly heard Dudley waddling at us as fast as he could-it was actually pretty fast, concerning him.

What happened after that was pure chaos.

"Out of the way, you," Dudley ordered, punching my brother in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. I ran up to him checking for injuries, when he quickly assured me that everything was fine, I turned to glare at Dudley.

How _dare_ he?

How dare he attack my brother, unprovoked. Who does he think he is? He wasn't even looking at my brother, too caught up in the _animal_ in the cage!

That's it!

I jumped to my feet, they didn't even notice me, which only served to anger me more. I grabbed them by their collars and leaned forward, ignoring their burning skin and horrified-in-serious-pain-right-now faces and whispered menacingly, "Not my brother. _Never_ my brother!" And pushed them at the glass.

Only, there was no glass...

The glass front of the boa constrictor's-what? I read signs too!- tank had vanished. The great snake uncoiled itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house started screaming and running for the exits. Only then I had noticed what I had done.

Oh goddammit!

I had lost it again!

That was _not_ good...

* * *

 **Welcome my lovelies to my new obsession! ı hope you like this story. I am taking a break from my other stories since this one is more pressing then the other ones.**

 **Any Reviews, good, bad,** **criticizing, suggesting! Is welcome! Please do it on your own accord...**

 **And if you like this story and where its heading please F&F**


	2. It Begins

**Welcome my friends to the second chapter of 'Where Shadows Lie' Lets see what our hero Maxwell will get himself into now...**

 **Authors Note:** **The reason why the twins is so brave in this story is because of Max. His protecting of Harry made his little brother even braver then he already was, thus making him stand against the Dursleys more. But Harry's still the more subdued brother.**

 **Disclaimer: Check first chapter.**

 **Read the Note At the Bottom its Really Important**

 **Have a good read!**

* * *

 **Maxwell's PoV**

I was right...

It was _not_ good. Not good at all...

With Dudley and Piers over-exaggerating most of the what really happened-They seemed to think that ' was purposely trying to kill them-. Dursleys ensured Piers that all would be handled(punished) accordingly and begged him to not breathe a word of this to his parents. Judging by the way that no one coming to murder us, I'm assuming he did what he was told.

Which was good.

But our situation?

 _Not_ good.

Uncle Vernon was so angry that he couldn't even talk. he just resorted grabbing Harry by the collar and shockingly muttering "Go... cupboard... stay... no meals..," And literally fainted. It would have been hilarious if it hadn't been the seriousness of our situation. Our situation being locked in the cupboard for an unexplained sentence of time. Because of me.

Wonderful!

So now Harry and i were laying down in our crammed bed, brooding about how it could have been.

"I'm sorry Harry," I apologized, "I ruined your day. And now look at us." I gestured at the crammed cupboard helplessly, "All this because of my temper." Is this how its going to be for the rest of our lives?

Harry must have seen my hopelessness because he grasped my shoulder firmly. "Don't worry Max," He whispered reassuringly "Well find a way out of this." He smiled confidently at me. His confident demeanor made my stomach churn, was I lucky to have my brother with me through this hell that is my life or am I the worse boy on earth to want another suffering with me?

I quickly stopped myself out of these depressing thoughts, they led to places I didn't like...

But I couldn't stop myself fast enough. My thoughts immediately directed to the car crash that our parents died. Harry and I couldn't even remember being in the car when our parents had died. Harry sometimes said that when he strained his memory, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and the burning pain on his forehead. He had suggested it was the crash. But what was that green lights coming from?

All I remembered was a voice I could not place.

I wish I didn't.

It had sounded terrible and appealing at the same time.

When we had been younger, Harry and I had dreamed endlessly of a unknown relative coming to take us away from this madhouse, but it had never happened, either they were all dead. Or they were like the rest of the world. Not giving am damn about us. the Dursleys were our only family. But they were not better then strangers from the streets

But even the the strangers in the street seemed better then them. They were strange, but who are we to call people strange, maybe they were like us? These strangers were weirdly kind to us. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to Harry once we were out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dumbdley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed us out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at us excitedly on a bus. Even a A bald man in a very long purple coat who had actually shaken Harry's hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word.

The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second we tried to get a closer look. And they all ignored me. Which always gave me this weird jealousy feeling. I had quickly stamped that feeling down then. How would it matter if Harry attracted more attention then me. I knew for a fact that i was a moody person. My face showed that. So what of it?

What of it...

I forced a smile on my face which made Harry less tense then he was before. "We will." I repeated, "Some day. But right now, we need to get through this." I put on my Uncle Vernon voice "So you go to bed at this instance, boy!" He laughed and bid me a good night before going to sleep.

How little did we now about what would happened after those rather prophetic words...

Did I go Angsty again?

Oh goddammit...

* * *

My temper tantrum at the zoo had earned Harry and i our longest-standing punishment _ever_. By the time we were allowed out of the cupboard again, the summer holidays had started and Dudley had already broken most of his presents. And unsurprisingly first time out on his racing bike, knocked down The cooty old cat lady who's leg was still broken. I told them that he couldn't ride that freaking bike. But they made me throw it in the trash, so the argument had quickly died down.

There were good news too! The Dursleys begrudgingly gave me permission to use Dudley's weightlifting equipment to vent out my anger. Aunt Petunia upon seeing my shocked expression, had said "Grandfather Michael had your temper problems as you." I was a little skeptical but it worked wonders. I hadn't had any tantrums after that day at the zoo. Dudley had disapproved(understatement of the decade) but was quickly discarded. Aside from granting me a reprieve from my temper, it had helped me hold my ground myself better against Dudley, who wouldn't even stay in the same room with me after his birthday trip at the zoo.

Harry and I were glad school was finally over, it had held infinite promises. But no matter what the matter was there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers-who ran away from me everytime he had seen me-, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all fat globheads, but seeing as Dudley was the fattest and stupidest of the lot, he was automatically their leader. If not for me the rest of them would be quick to join in Dudley's favorite sport(that sentence was so wrong that even words cant describe it): Harry Hunting.

Harry and I had spent as much time as possible out of the house to have some reprieve from Dudley and his merry globs. We were mostly wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where we could see this tiny, _tiny_ ray of hope. When September came we would start the secondary school and, for the very first time in our lives, we would be free of Dudley. Dudley had been accepted to Smeltings the Private School. His gang would be going there with him. Harry and I, on the other hand, we were going to Stonewall High,

Dudley upon hearing that, had finally mustered enough courage to mock me about it.

"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he had told me while i was at his room lifting weights. "Wanna practice?" I had put the weights in their place and rose up with a frightening grin:

"You go first?" I had asked innocently. If you saw his face after those words you would have laughed your face off. Harry and I had done exactly that.

When Aunt Petunia had taken Dudley to the city to buy his school uniform, leaving us with the The Cooty Old Cat Lady. But she wasn't as bad as her usual self. She had broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and they had a 'falling out'. I had let out a relieved breath upon hearing that. No unprovoked cat attacks for me!

Take that cats!

In your face!.

Mrs. Figg had been so kind that that. She even let Harry and I watch her television that had been leftover from the middle-ages and gave us two slices of chocolate cake that tasted like it had been passed down through generations.

That evening, Dudley had paraded around the house in his brand-new uniform. It had been a nightmare, an hilarious nightmare. The uniform that the boys wore consisted of a maroon tailcoat, orange breeches, and a straw hat. He also carried a short, knobbly stick, used for the clear purpose of hitting each other. This was supposed to be good training for later life and a good way of 'improving ones character'.

As he looked at Dudley in his new breeches, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life.

Aunt Petunia had burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, 'he looked so handsome and grown-up.' Harry had looked like he was in serious pain from not laughing.

I was not that controlled however.

I had never laughed that hard in my life. There were tears coming out of my eyes.

It hadn't event _start_ to die down when they sent me to the cupboard early without dinner.

Pure gold!

* * *

 **Next Morning**

Ugh!

What is that smell!?

Some people expect to smell nice things when they wake up! It is not supposed to smell like someone just painted the whole house and left without drying it...

I woke up. Still grumbling about the smell. It looks like Harry had already woken up and went to the source of the smell, because the bed was empty. Unless the Dursleys killed him last night. Could be possible.

Positive thoughts for the win, ain't that right brain?

I quickly got dressed up and went for the kitchen, where the smell was coming from. The Dursleys and Harry had gotten here first. And upon seeing the that enormous metal tub in the sink, which had some dirty clothes in it. It was clear what was the cause of that smell. I plopped down on one of the chairs and waited for someone to explain. I nudged my twin and nodded towards the tub. He just mouthed 'school' to me.

Oh.

I don't even want to think what i'll look like at Stonewall High. I'll just let Harry worry about that.

After a while of eating, I heard the mailman dropping the letters at the doormat.

"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Whale-non from behind his paper.

"Make Maxwell get it." Oh no you don't lad!

"Get the mail, Maxwell." I snorted at that.

"No." I replied simply.

"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley." Uncle Whale-non encouraged our whale-in-law.

"I'll shove that stick so far up your ar-" I was saying when I saw Dudley lifting his frigging' stick, but I was rudely interrupted by Harry. But it was not bad. Because He had to have noticed my unusually foul temper. It had been a rather good save actually. Don't think I can handle-or tolerate- another punishment.

"I'll get it." He quickly said and raced to the front door.

When Uncle Whale-non shouted him to hurry up he quickly came back to the kitchen and dropped a letter down at my lap. I looked at him incredulously. Who would write me? I mean Dursleys don't want to spend any money on us so they didn't get me a registration for the library, regardless of how much I liked reading-which was a LOT-i didn't have any friends, I mean Dudley could have written it as a joke but i doubt he could write an entire letter, He cant even spell his own name right, and this letter was enveloped and everything. So not Dudley. Deciding not to think about it, I curiously picked it up and read the address;

 _Mr. M. Potter_

 _The Cupboard under the Stairs_

 _4 Privet Drive_

 _Little Whinging, Surrey_

The envelope was thick as Dudley's head and heavy, made of parchment? Who even uses parchment these days! IS this cooty old cat ladies way of saying come over for dinner sometimes? Because my answer is no!

The address was written in green ink. There was no stamp, _huh,_ how did this get posted again? I turned the envelope over, and saw the purple seal that was bearing a coat of arms; a red and gold lion, a blue and silver eagle, a gold and black badger, and a snake that was green and sliver surrounding a large letter H. I looked at Harry and saw that he got the same letter.

"What do we do?" He asked dumbly. Oh my dear twin. Don't they teach you this at school? Oh wait, we were crammed in a cupboard for the most of the school year...

I held up my letter and toasted, with a letter. Don't judge me! "Cheers." he smirked bemusedly, we quickly tossed our letters and started to open them.

Until...

"Dad!" said Dudley called immediately when he saw us. "Dad, They've got something!"

I immediately jumped up from the chair and hid the letter under my sleeves. But Harry was not as lucky. He was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on parchment! Damn parchments!, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Whale-non. Ignoring Harry's protests he shook the letter open with one hand and glanced in it.

Then he turned into a traffic lights. Like seriously, the only thing his face was missing was some yellow. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge. It would've been hilarious if not for the serious situation we are in. You know that? Dursleys always robbed the little moments of joy in our lives. I think that's another thing to add to the 'For What Reasons Do You Hate The Dursleys' list.

"P-P-Petunia!" he called breathlessly. What was wrong with him? I mean it was just a letter, Do they seriously want to withhold every bit of connection we have to the outside world to vanish? When Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. I mean it must have been a really bad letter if _Dudley_ was denied of reading it! I quickly started to tear down the envelope to read the letter meanwhile Aunt Petunia took Harry's letter curiously and read the first line. She looked like she might faint at any second. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.

"Vernon! Oh my goodness... Vernon!" she pointed at me. Uncle Vernon saw what I was doing and ran at me as fast as he could. I could only read out ' _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at H-'_ before the letter was snatched out of my hand. He quickly ripped the letters apart, grabbed me from my collar and threw me out of the room out to the hall before my temper got the better of me. I heard him trying to get Dudley and Harry out of the room. And concentrated on hearing what they were saying.

"I want to read that letter," Dudley, which didn't have any gain from reading that letter, demanded loudly.

"I want to read it," said Harry furiously, "As it's mine." You tell them Harry!

"Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, He was panting from the effort it took to threw me out of the room-I didn't tell you how much I work out did i?- But from what it sounded like they weren't budging.

"I WANT MY LETTER!" Harry shouted angrily.

While Dudley demanded "Let me see it!" I didn't know it was possible. They agreed on something! For completely different purposes but i'll take it!

"OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and the next thing I was able to comprehend, that I am on the ground with both Harry and Dudley on top of me. You can bet on it that it was **not** a pleasant experience.

I heard the slam of the kitchen door behind me. Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole, But I ignored them and went to the cupboard. Cant deal with their antics anymore...

I was sick of the Dursleys. I mean they practically tortured us, robbed every chance of happiness from our lives and now? They're stealing our letters too? That was a new low for them. One I intend to correct tomorrow.

After a while of turning and kicking I heard Harry enter the cupboard looking a little beat up, but he held a thumb up to message that he was okay. That was our sign. If Dudley did any more then that he knows I'll kick his ass.

When he plopped down to the bed moodily, I asked "So, what did you hear?"

"They said something about someone following us," He answered. I nodded thoughtfully. It was possible, since they knew about us living in the cupboard. But the letter said about getting accepted to someplace. How would a school or a club or anything for that matter, care where you live. Care enough to basically spy _on_ them. Harry spoke up again "And something about stamping out _that_ dangerous nonsense."

My eyes widened in realization. "You think it's got something to do with..." I paused looking for a way to phrase it, "What we do?" After a while of thinking I added "Because it said something about being accepted to somewhere. But Uncle Vernon took it before I could read it."

Harry shrugged helplessly "I don't know. But if its about that the Dursleys would never give us the letters back" He had looked so hopeful when he had that letter. It made me so angry knowing that the cause of all our misery was behind that door. It could all end.

But how?

* * *

That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he had purposely, visited, me while i was on Dudleys room using his newly acquired punching bag as to vent out anger. Wishing it was Uncle Whale-non's face had helped the processes alot.

I seriously needed some therapy.

"What?" I demanded angrily when it became clear that he wanted to talk to me.

His face went red for a second before he put on the fakest smile in existence " The letter. It was addressed to you by mistake," explained Uncle Vernon shortly, i snorted and shrugged which clearly asked 'and?' He took some deep breaths and continued, "Er, yes, Max, about the cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking... you and your brother are really getting big for living it... we think it might be appropriate if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom." My jaw dropped on the floor when he said that. What?

They thought what!?

Woah!

He forced another smile on his face and patted me on the back, it was funny how he was trying so hard to be nice to me. Where were those letters 10 years ago. I could take advantage of this...

The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms: one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually for Aunt Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom.

When i came back downstairs I noticed Harry had already took my stuff upstairs, which was not saying much, we didn't own much things. And the things we did own were mostly clothes which was easy to carry.

When I entered the room I saw Harry, he was sat down on the bed and staring around him. I noticed that he didn't look to happy as am to be in here. I guess he preferred having the letter then being here. I would have preferred both but i'll take what I have been given!

Glancing around the room I saw that literally everything in here was broken. The video camera Dudley got on his birthday was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once ran over a dog with; in the corner was Dudley's old television set, which he'd put a foot through when his favorite program had been canceled- it had been me playing a prank on him hi hi- there was a large birdcage, which was empty. up on the shelf there was real air rifle, which was all bent because Dudley had sat on it-fat bastard!-. Other shelves were full of dusty, untouched books.

My eyes widened upon seeing the books and I immediately ran up to them. There had to be at least 50 books here! There were adventure novels or Dudley's game guides and 'lorebooks'-what are those?- they all looked so _readable!_

GOD!

I saw Harry rolling his eyes at my reaction, and turned to him, "What has you in this impeccably nice mood Mr. I'm-too-smart-for-books ?" He rolled his eyes again and answered moodily. He always seemed moody. Product of living with the Dumbleys. (That sounded good! I'll take it)

"I just wish we had those letters right now, you know." He said, so I was right!

"I was thinking, it was clear that whoever sent that letter has been spying on us." I revealed the thought that had been nagging me 'till this morning. "So when they learn that we didn't get the letter..." I waited him to catch up . "They'll send them again" we finished together.

"And we'll get those ones."

It had been an hour of settling into our room when we heard Dudley bawling his head off at his mother, "I don't want them in there..." He sobbed forcefully "I need that room... make them get out..." I smirked triumphantly.

"That smile is making me uncomfortable." Harry said warily.

"Which it should." I replied seriously, whenever you see me smirking our grinning, run the other way. It was hazardous to be in the same room with me when I had a scheme in mind. Harry was yet to learn that and had caused me to get locked in the cupboard a lot. Sometimes it was not as harmful, this time was probably going to be the less harmful one yet.

I jumped down from the top bunk, disregarding Harry's questions and ran downstairs to the kitchen. I opened the fridge and looked for the vital part of the prank, when I found what I was looking for I silently entered the parlor where Dudley was still throwing the biggest tantrum _ever_ and plopped down on of the couches quietly. After a while of amused watching of Dudley wail all over the place, i initiated the plan.

 _Crunch!_

The Dursleys immediately stopped bickering and started looking around the room frantically. When their eyes landed on me holding an half empty pop-corn bowl. I immediately bolted out of the room. They had all looked ready to murder me.

I was still laughing through midnight.

Their faces!

* * *

 **Next Morning**

At breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was still in shock. From what i'd seen he'd screamed, whacked Uncle Vernon with his Smelting stick, puked on purpose, kicked Aunt Petunia multiple times, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, added with the humiliation of my prank and him still not having the room back he was probably having the worst day of his life.

When the mail arrived, Harry had quickly rose up from his chair and went for the mail but Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be less of a dick to us- I had not helped with the prank I pulled yesterday- disregarded all his weak protests and made Dudley get it. He banged all the things he saw with his Smelting stick all the way down friggin the hall. But when he suddenly stopped Harry and I exchanged dark glances and waited for the inevitable.

And it came...

Dudley shouted, "There's another one! _'Mr. H. and M. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, Number 4, Privet Drive..._ "

With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry and I right behind his tail. By the time we arrived on the scene Uncle Vernon had wrestled Dudley to the ground and was trying to get the letter from him, which was made difficult when Harry jumped on Uncle Vernon and grabbed him around the neck from behind, while I bent down and grabbed the letter an pulled on with all my might. After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a _lot_ with the Smelting stick, The letters was torn in two, by me and Uncle Vernon because of us pulling on with all our strength. He straightened up, gasping for breath, with the torn letters still clutched in hand.

"Go to your cupboard- I mean, your bedroom!" he chocked out. "Dudley... go... just go."

When Harry and i returned to the room and -i- slammed the door angrily, Harry had immediately started pacing around on our new and awesome room. We had confirmed my theory. Someone knew. Someone knew that we had been moved out of the cupboard and they had noticed that we had not received the first letters. That meant that they'd definitely try again. And whenever Harry started pacing, he had a plan.

* * *

 **The Plan...**

The repaired alarm clock -No problem Harry!- rang at six o'clock in the morning. Harry turned it off quickly and we quickly and silently dressed. We were silent not to wake the Dursleys. I led us downstairs quickly and sneaked through the halls without turning on any of the lights-duh!-. We were going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first and race back to the house.

I leapt 5ft into the air when I stepped on something and heard a sizzling sound; It felt like there was something big and squishy on the doormat and i had a very good idea of what might be the thing that I stepped on. And it was a terrifying thought.

But I was right.

Again.

It was Uncle Vernon.

Lights clicked on upstairs and to his Harry's hilarious realization that the big, squashy something that I had stepped on had been my uncle's face. Uncle Vernon had been sleeping at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry and I didn't do exactly what we'd been trying to do. Did he really have to try that hard to ensure that we wouldn't get the letters? Just thinking about it made me angry.

He had shouted at us for about half an hour and then told Harry to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap:

"I want..." he began,-I snorted then, like they'd give us what we wanted- but Uncle Vernon teared the letters into pieces before our eyes. He didn't go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.

Upon eavesdropping on them Harry had said to me they were talking about 'these people' which meant they knew who was sending these letters and they weren't telling us. Which made my mood fouler.

Cue up another round on the punching bag...

* * *

 **It Begins...**

On Friday, at least two dozens of letters had arrived for us. Because Uncle Vernon nailed down the mail slot so no letters could enter, they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides of the windows, and a few even forced their way through the small window in the downstairs bathroom.

Uncle Vernon had stayed at home again. burned all the letters and he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up all the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed a rather catchy tune as he worked, and jumped at small noises which I took full advantage of.

Don't judge me!

But after those events, things began to get _really_ out of hand rather quickly. at the least of fifty letters to Harry and I had found their way into the house, somehow rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that a very confused milkman had handed through the living room window. Uncle Vernon didn't waste his chance and made angry(understatement of the day) phone calls to the post office and the St. John's dairy trying to find someone to complain to, While Aunt Petunia took her sweet time and shredded the letters slowly. While we were watching helplessly

"Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?" Dudley had asked us in confused wonder.

That was the million dollar question...

On Sunday mornings breakfast I had literally fell down on one of the chairs moodily with Uncle Vernon who was looking tired and quite sick, but rather sickeningly happy. "No damn post on Sundays," he reminded us rather cheerfully, which made me want to punch him in the face "No damn letters today -"

I was about to make him eat his words when something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney and caught him sharply on the back of the head.

It was the letters...

In your face!

Literally!

Next moment, hundreds of letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys had ducked down in hopes of not getting thousands of paper-cuts, Harry leapt into the air cheerfully, trying to catch one. "Out! OUT!" Uncle Vernon roared and threw Harry out into the hall. Aunt Petunia and Dudley ran out with their arms over their faces and Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. We could still hear the letters streaming into the room.

No one had noticed what I hid under my sleeve when they weren't looking.

"That does it," said Uncle Vernon speaking calmly and pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time. Must be fun... Not. "I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave." He said furiously. He looked so angry that even I didn't dare object him, "We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!" He had glared at me viciously at that last second that I shrunk back.

Ten minutes had passed, Uncle Vernon had literally teared through the boards he had put up only two days ago and threw us into the car, he was speeding full force towards the highway sometimes looking back to see if something was fallowing us. Dudley was quietly sobbing next to me, Uncle Vernon had shockingly smacked him on the back of the head for holding them up while he had tried to pack the whole house in his bag.

Uncle Vernon didn't stop the car for eating or drinking all day. Harry and I were used to it but Dudley was howling his head off. I think he'd never had such a bad day in his life. He hadn't eaten until... Lemme check, 6 hours-a new record!- he had missed all the television programs he'd liked, and he'd never gone so long without raiding a dungeon on his computer.

I still had the letter under my sleeve, but i was dead against opening it in this car. If the Dursleys saw it, i wouldn't even have the time to say _poof_ before it would be snatched out of my hand.

Uncle Vernon finally stopped the car outside a shady-looking hotel that was on the outskirts of a big city that I forgot the name of. Dursleys took a room and they left Dudley, Harry and I share another room with small, joint beds and wet sheets. I had let Harry sleep on the bed with Dudley who, with his snoring was close to tearing the roof of this place. When I looked at I saw that he was still awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring out of the window.

When I made sure that everyone was sleeping, took the letter out of my sleeve and stared at it for a long time. The dim lights wouldn't allow me to read the letters envelope clearly but I wasn't planning on opening it anyway. It wasn't feeling right, and I had learned trusting my instincts long ago. When I focused on the letter intently, I could make out a letter M. on the thick parchment, it had been a lucky choice picking one of the letters that had been addressed to me when the house was being bombarded with all of them.

'What is happening?' I asked myself for the first time...

* * *

 **Next Morning**

When we came down for breakfast we ate old cereal that tasted like it was left out in the open-i dont wanna talk about it- and tin-cut tomatoes on the toast for the breakfast. We were just about finished when the owner of the hotel came over to the table with guess what?

A letter.

"'Cuse me, but are Mr. H. and M. Potter here? We only got about an 'undred of these at the front desk." She said sarcastically and held up a pair of letters addressed in green ink...

 _Mr. H. Potter || Mr. M. Potter_

 _Room 17 || Room 17_

 _Railview Hotel || Railview Hotel_

 _Cokeworth || Cokeworth_

Harry tried to make a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon smacked his hand out of the way, and glanced at me, expecting me to make a move. I had quickly hid my desire for the letters and did my best to look disinterested. He nodded to himself and spoke up to the Hotel's Owner who was glancing at them suspiciously "I'll take them," he said and stood up quickly and following her from the dining room after ordering us to move on to the car.

"Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia had suggested timidly, hours later after we left the Hotel, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. in fact he didn't seem to hear any of us. What he was looking for, none of us knew it. He had drove us to the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head and got back in the car, and off he drove again. The same thing happened in multiple places.

Every, frigging, time!

Stop already! I need to pee!

"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked the most valid question he had ever asked in all the years he had been alive to Aunt Petunia in the late afternoon. Uncle Vernon had parked the car at the coast, locked us all inside the car, opened the windows slightly and disappeared to nowhere.

It started to rain. Dudley whined out "It's Monday," he told Aunt Petunia. "The Great Humberto's on tonight." _What!?"_ I want to stay somewhere with a television. " I don't even _want_ to watch that. God no!

I was stripped from my thoughts when Harry nudged me and sent me a dark look which could have only meant one thing. Oh no! It had to be now! You have got to be kidding me!

The worst day of the year...

Our birthday...

Goddammit!

Dursleys don't even think of celebrating our birthday. They just chuck us the first thing they find for 'presents' same thing went for Christmas, thanksgiving, Halloween and any other holiday that involved gifts...

But 11 years though! Makes you feel important.

When Uncle Vernon came back and he was smiling. i immediately knew something was up. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought-which looked suspiciously like a rifle...-.

"Found the perfect place!" he said cheerfully. "Come on! Everyone out!" He ordered

It was freaking cold and miserable outside the car .It had gotten even more miserable when Uncle Vernon pointed at what looked like a large rock-island way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack on earth you could imagine. I threw an amused look on Dudley's way, there would definitely be no television in there.

In your face!

"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping. Which immediately threw off all signs of humor from me "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!" He pointed at a toothless old man who came sauntering up to us, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them.

I wonder if Uncle Vernon knew he was scammed, hardcore.

"I've already got us some rations," he said with the same weird cheerfulness he had since s "so all aboard!"

It was more cold in the boat, And even the Dursleys had to scoot up to me to get warmer. The sea, spray and rain crept down the necks and a chilly wind whipped the faces of all of us. After what seemed like hours we reached the small island-if it can be called that-, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.

The inside of the shack was horrible; it smelled strongly of rotten seaweed, and the wind mercilessly whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.

Uncle Vernon's so called 'rations' turned out to be a bag of chips each-half and half for me and Harry- and five bananas. He had tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up. I had snorted, I could light that fire rather easily.

Wimp...

"Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said upon seeing my mocking look, if only he knew...

He had a very good mood cap on right now. _Obviously_ he hadn't thought of anybody standing a chance of reaching us here in a storm to deliver mail. A normal person wouldn't, but I think what gives us these letters are _normal._

As night fell, the promised storm started. High waves was splattering against the walls of the little shack and a fierce wind rattled the dirty windows. Aunt Petunia had found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the half eaten big 'uns went off to the lumpy and uncomfortable bed next door, leaving Harry and I were left to find the softest bit of floor we could and curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket. I purposely left Harry the most of the blanket. my higher-then-normal body temperature would help me get out of this shack alive without freezing to death.

Charmin' thoughts those are...

The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. I couldn't sleep, and from the looks of it Harry couldn't too. He shivered, turned over and leaned more into me, trying to get comfortable. The rumbling of our stomach's continued on simultaneously. even Dudley's thunder-like snores were drowned by the rolls of thunder that had started near midnight. I saw Harry staring at the lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist,

Ten minutes remain

I heard something creaking outside. I guess this was what felt like sleeping on a ice cold shack in the middle of a rock. Finally can cross that out of my bucket list. The way it's going now, i wont have the time to complete all the things in it.

Three minutes remain.

I heard a funny noise at the door, but disregarded it as the waves slapping hard on the rock.

Two minutes remain.

The strange noises continued.

One minute remains.

And we' d be eleven.

Three... two... one... I nudged Harry and pulled the letter out of my sleeve. His eyes grew wider then Dudleys fat hand and I mouthed 'Happy Birthday'

BOOM.

The whole shack had shivered with the force of the blow. Harry and I had sat bolt upright, staring at the door startled-ly.

Someone was outside.

Knocking to come in...

* * *

 **Next Chapter: The-Boy-Who-Didn't-Get-That-Much-Of-An-Attention**

 **I am sorry if you don't see many difference from the books. I wanted to get to the exciting places really quickly!**

 **If you have any suggestions or suggestive criticism please be sure to review!**

 **If you like this story and approve of where its heading please F&F**

 **Blergh!**


	3. Jealousy? Pfft!

**Welcome my lovely Readers! To another chapter in the story of our hero! Maxwell. What will he get himself into now... You have to actually Read the story and find out.**

 **THE TORTURE! GIIMME THE SPOILERS NOW!**

 **Disclaimer: Check first episode**

* * *

 **Maxwell's PoV**

 **BOOM.**

The door was knocked with the force of thunder, again. We heard Dudley fall down from the couch, when he raised his head he had stupidly asked. "Where's the cannon?" If that was what he said. That had to be one hell of a dream.

Anyway where were we left off?

Oh right...

The friggin door was being knocked right out of his hinges.

With loud noises Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia came running into the entrance hall,-if it can even be called that- I stuffed the letter into my shirt so they wouldn't see it Uncle Vernon had a rifle in his hand-Ha! Told you so- and it was pointed at the door shaken-handedly.

"Who's there!" he shouted with a cracking voice. "I-i warn you... I am armed!"

There was a slight pause which felt like an eternity.

And then...

 **SMASH!**

The door was ripped off his hinges and thrown halfway into the shitty-shack-you would be bitter too!- and with a deafening sound it landed onto the floor. Shaking the not-so-durable shack to its very foundation.

 _Oh the drama!_

A _giant_ was standing in the doorway. I am not even over-exaggerating. He, I am assuming it's a he. Was at least 4ft long! His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy hair and an awesome beard! If you focused long enough you could make out his eyes, glinting warmly like black beetles.

The giant man stuffed himself to the little hut. He hunched down so his head wouldn't bang on the ceiling, while muttering something like "Sorreh 'bout that..." And crouched down near the big door and grabbed it like it was nothing. He easily fitted the door to its frame and turned to us.

"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh?" He asked like he just didn't break in. "It's not been an easy journey..." With that he walked towards to the couch Dudley was sitting at and jabbed "Budge up, yeh great lump," I snorted when he jumped off with a scream and ran to his parents. The hilarious coward.

"An' here are the twins!" said the giant, genuinely beaming at us. That was new... "Las' time I saw you two, two of you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yeh mom's eyes." He threw a friendly glance at my way. "An' I reckon yeh are a mix!" He knew our parents! He could definitely tell us somethings about them! I was going to ask him but Uncle Vernon chocked on something-or nothing- and spoke up.

I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he demanded. "You are breaking and entering!" I think he knew what he was doing Uncle Vernon thank you very much...

Not.

The giant of a man stomped his way over to Uncle Vernon and jerked the rifle out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a ∞ shape as easily as if it had been made of those little cheap irons, and threw it out into the corner out of the room. You should have seen Uncle Vernon's face when he did that. He looked like a bumbling-baboon -zoo's can work wonders in the name of name-calling- who's tail got stepped on.

"Anyway.." He continued like nothing happened (he seemed to do that alot) "Harry and Max," he faced away from the Dursleys, "A very happy birthday to both of yeh. Got summat fer yeh here... I might've sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right." This is really _unusual._ Someone actually caring about us? Are the Dursleys playing a prank on us?

Wouldn't doubt it...

From a pocket inside of his gigantic black overcoat -i pity the tailor who had to make that one- he pulled a slightly squashed box. I ripped the top open carefully t onot spill anything inside the box and peered inside. It was a large, sticky chocolate cake with _Happy Birthday_ written on it with green icing.

Harry an I spoke together. It was surprising really, since we didn't do that a lot but the difference between this and the other time we said diffrent things.

I had said "Thank you... Sir?"

He had said "Who are you?" Rather rudely, but I knew he didn't mean it to sound rude. We only met this men, who came in with rather questionable methods, rambled about our parents and gave us _cake_. Which no one ever did before.

I guess you can understand our reaction.

The giant man must have thought what I thought because instead of looking offended he chuckled lightheartedly "True, I haven't introduced me-self. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." Wait a second!

 _H_...

Hogwarts!

Before I was as about to go on my pausy-stare-at-nothing-thinking spree I was interrupted by the giant shaking my whole arm, out the corner of my eye I saw him doing the same to Harry, who looked extremely uncomfortable.

Hagrid's eyes fell on the unlit fireplace and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace and muttered something like " _Incendio_ " and the unlit fireplace from only seconds before roared with bright flames. It filled the the little shack with little flickering lights and warmth spread across the bone-freezing shack from a seconds before.

Hagrid sat back down on the couch, which sagged under his weight poor couch! And began taking all sorts of things out of his pockets: a copper kettle, a package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, some chipped mugs, and probably some booze which he took a swig from, and started to make tea. Soon the little shack and was full of the sounds of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while Hagrid was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, delicious looking, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley the fat bastard fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon stopped him by speaking up sharply,

"Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley." He snapped and Dudley immediately stopped.

"Yer' great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore," He jabbed friendly, which made me laugh. Finally, someone to put Uncle Vernon where he belonged, He passed the sausages at us and we began to eat. Compared to our diet at these days the sausages Hagrid gave us felt like the greatest food that I had ever eaten. I am pretty sure that my favorite food was sausage now...

"I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are." Harry asked carefully and I nodded along, who was he, and more importantly _what_ was he?

"Call me Hagrid," he said over a gulp of tea, "Everyone does. An' like I told yeh two, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts... Yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course." That was the problem, we didn't.

"No." I said voicing my thoughts. upon seeing Hagrid's shocked and angry face I added, "Sorry about that." Whatever I did, was left unspoken.

"Sorry!?" He shouted angirily and pointed at the Dursleys who ran off to the corner of the shack in fear "It's them as should be sorry!" About what? There's many "I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yet parents learned it all?" Learned what?

"All what?" asked Harry curiously, but I could feel him wanting to shrink back away from the giant man when he exploded rather angirily.

"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid roared. "Now wait jus' one second!" He turned to the Dursleys who was shaking with fear and implored "Do you mean ter tell me," he growled angirily at them "That these boys. Especially Harry Potter knows nothin' abou'... About ANYTHING?" That is rather offensive! I am rather smart thank you! Expect for math that is...

Dont laugh at me!

"We know some things," Harry said. "Max especially you know, we can, you know, do math and stuff." He said awkwardly.

I snorted at that "Not me! I can't do math! Don't give him wrong impressions!" But Hagrid wasn't listening, he was waving his rather large hand with the clear meaning of 'not that!'

"About our world," He said fascinatingly "I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."

"What world?" Harry and I chorused with it ending when I sent a dark look at Harry.

But Hagrid wasn't fascinated by our fantastic twin powers over his explosive anger.

"DURSLEY!" he roared at Uncle Vernon who had gone very pale, paler then the moonlight that was peering over the cracks at the shack whispered something that sounded a lot like 'Mimblewimble.' Hagrid stared wildly at us.

"But yeh must know about yer mom and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You two are famous." He stated rather proudly.

"What? My... our mom and dad weren't famous, were they?" Harry implored curiously.

"Yeh don' know... Yeh don' know..." Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair wildly, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare. "Yeh don' know what yeh are?" he said finally with angry curiosity. But he was interrupted of his answer when Uncle Vernon who seemed like he got over his fear of Hagrid the giant man, spoke up:

"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell them anything!" Hagrid sent him the angriest glare that has ever been done and spoke up with barely tempered rage.

"You never told them? Never told them what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him?" Who was Dumbeldore? "I was there!" He continued on "I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from them all these years?"

"Kept WHAT?" I shouted. Even I was starting to get angry at hearing all the things Hagrid told us. They kept it all out from us. Our parents, our heritage, basically our birthright...

"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic while Aunt Petunia squealed in horror.

"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry, Max yer wizards."

* * *

 **Dun Dun DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!**

* * *

There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.

Screw the hut! I am a wizard!

WEEEE!

"A what?" gasped Harry shocked. His confusion written on his face. I mean if you look at things from his perspective it was an impossible things made flesh and bone. You were bound to be skeptical.

Why not me you ask? Because it makes perfect sense...

"A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid ripping me out of my thoughts and sat back down on the ever-groaning couch which sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good'un, I'd wager," He continued with the praises "Once yeh've all been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh two be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh two read yer letters." He looked at me and winked while handing Harry his letter.

I think we could have made a board for the number of gasps we heard from the Dursleys. Because they did gasp when I pulled the letter out of my baggy sweatshirt.

 _HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

 _Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE_

 _(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards)_

 _Dear Mr. Potter, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. Yours sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall,_

 _Deputy Headmistress_

 _Equipment_

 _UNIFORM_

 _First-year students will require:_

 _1\. Three sets of plain work robes (black)_

 _2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_

 _3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

 _4\. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)_

 _Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags_

 _COURSE BOOKS_

 _All students should have a copy of each of the following:_

 ** _The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk_**

 ** _A_ _History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot_**

 ** _Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling_**

 ** _A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic_ _Switch_**

 ** _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore_**

 ** _Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger_**

 ** _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander_**

 ** _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble_**

 _OTHER EQUIPMENT_

 _wand_

 _cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) set_

 _glass or crystal phials_

 _telescope set_

 _brass scales_

 _Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad_

 _PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS_

I smirked at Dursleys and their crestfallen faces when they noticed that there was no going back from this. It all made sense now... How we could do all of those things without any proper explanation.

"What does it mean, they await my owl?" Harry stammered out the question. It must have been the least important question out of the questions we should ask right now. Bravo Harry.

He smacked a hand to his forehead that surely would have killed me with its force, "Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," He got to searching his pockets and found a perfectly alive but really annoyed at his living accommodations. I wouln't be either I mean... Living in Hagrid's pocket. Who was scribbling a note on a piece of parchment. I leaned over from behind and read what he was writing:

 _Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

 _Given The twins their letters._

 _Taking them to buy their_ _things tomorrow._

 _Weather's horrible._

 _Hope you're Well._

 _Hagrid_

Hagrid rolled the note and put in the beak ow the owl and went to the window where he threw the poor owl into the storm. Looked really... Normal. Wouldn't you say?

"Where was I?" said Hagrid thinking of continuing,when Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced and looking very angry, moved into the firelight.

"They're not going," he said with a 'no argument' tone.

"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop them," he grunted out.

"A muggle?" I asked it sounded funny. Maybe that should be Uncle Vernon's nickname.

"A Muggle," Explained Hagrid, "it's what we call nonmagic folk like them." He pointed at the Dursleys and continued, "An' it's your bad luck you two grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on." I say that every day of the year.

"We swore when we took them in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," Insisted Uncle Vernon, "Swore we'd stamp it out of them! Wizard indeed!" Wait a second!

They knew!?

You knew?" shouted an angry Harry. "You knew w-we were wizards?"

"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that-that school and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was... A freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!" She drew a breath and continued her bottled-up confession "Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you two, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as- as - abnormal... And then," The car crash of course "If you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you all!"

What!?

Aunt Petunia, who had finished his little rant, jumped back with a shriek when the fire on the fireplace roared up to her.

They..?

Lied to us?

I looked up at them furiously, the fireplace flaring like it was mirroring my anger, "BLOWN UP!?" I roared. "Yo-you told us that they died in a car crash!" They were shaking with fear now and Harry had to grasp me from my shoulders to calm me down. It had taken a while for that. Seeing as I was ready to murder their entire family.

"CAR CRASH!" Roared Hagrid not helping that much. No not at all actually, he jumped up from the couch so angrily that the Dursleys seemed like they wanted to merge with that wall behind them. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry and Max Potter not knowin' their own story when every kid in our world knows their name!"

"But why?" Harry asked. "What happened?" And with that Hagrid's face lost its anger with a talent i could only dream of achiving. He only looked disconcerting now.

"I never expected this," he started, in a low and worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh two didn't know. Ah. I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh both... but someone's gotta - yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'." He threw a well deserved filthy look at the Dursleys and started "Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh - mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it..."

He sat down on the breaking couch and stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then started, "It begins, I suppose, with - with a person called" He looked afraid of telling _this_ persons name "But it's incredible yeh two don't know his name, everyone in our world knows -"

"Who?" Harry and i asked simultaneously.

"Well... I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it." He excused himself "No one does."

"Why not?" Harry asked curiously.

"Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared." He started spouting out words "Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went... bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was..." He paused with hesitation.

"All right, all right... Voldemort." He shuddered for a moment with fear and continued. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this... This dark wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too... some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself a lot power, all right. Dark days,. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches... terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him... An' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway." He paused to take a breather and continued:

"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before... probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side." You go mom and dad!

"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em... maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where your family was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You two was just a year old. He came ter yer house an'... an'..." He stopped abruptly and pulled out a dirty handkerchief (i snorted then _**he** carried those?_ ) and made train-horn noises with his nose. But we were to enthralled with his story to point out on it "Sorry," he excused himself. "But it's that sad... Knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find... anyway..."

"You-Know-Who killed 'em." My eyes widened at that. I was comprehending the possibility but pushed it away until now. Hagrid continued on "An' then -an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing- he tried to kill you, too." He pointed at Harry. What!? "Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it." He had said that with a fascinated voice. "Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead?" You mean that awesome scar of awesomeness? "That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a Powerful, evil curse touches yeh... Took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even... but it didn't work on you, an' that's why ye two famous, Harry, Max." He turned to Harry and continued. "No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age - the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts - an' you was only a baby, an' you lived."

My eyes threatened to water at that but i held them back. Never show a weakness in front of those who could hurt you and Dursleys were the exact definition of that. Hagrid continued telling his story but i couldn't listen. Harry had stopped him. But what about me? Was i just the spoils for the victor? Or was he spesifically after Harry? If that was the case maybe Harry was the reason our parents were gone. He was the reason that we lived the torture-equievelant of life.

I quickly stopped those thoughts. He was my brother! Nothing, _nothing_ could make me doubt the one person who has always stood by me through all of my life.

Nothing...

"Load of old tosh," snapped Uncle Vernon. causing Harry and I to jump; we had of course forgotten about the Dursleys who were unfortunately still there. Uncle Vernon looked like he had mustered enough courage to stand up to Hagrid. He continued on "Now, you listen here!" he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you two, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured... and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdos," WHAT!? "No denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion... asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types... just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end..."

But he was interrupted when Hagrid leapt from the couch and pointed an old-looking pink umbrella at Uncle Vernon threateningly "I'm warning you, Dursley. I'm warning you... one more word... " Do it!

Do it!

Do it!

But Uncle Vernon had lost what remained of his courage and stumbled back to the corner to his family.

"That's better," Hagrid sighed and sat back on the couch. Meanwhile I asked the question which had been nagging me until now.

"What happened to the bastard?"

Hagrid didn't reprimand me, instead he nodded "Bastar', right Max! An' to yer good question," He shrugged and continued "Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill Harry. Makes yeh two even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see... he was gettin' more an' more powerful... why'd he go?" Maybe his method of killing didn't work on babies. But Hagrid continued. "Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die." How many people did Voldemort killed? "Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances." _Cowards._ "Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back."

He continued on "Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on... I dunno what it was, no one does... but somethin' about you stumped him, all right." He had said those words with so much pride... I couldn't help but feel jealous. How couldn't i? Stoppped the man killing our parents...

With doing absolutely nothing. A small voice whispered in my mind.

Yep! Its confirmed. I'm mad.

"Hagrid," Harry said quietly, it was clear that he didn't feel the same way. "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard." How couldn't you? The signs were clear...

Hagrid chuckled much to Harry's surprise and answered warmly "Not a wizard, eh?" He winked at him Never made things happen when you was scared or angry? look at your brother! He was almost going to burn the whole hut down!"

I smirked when understanding dawned on Harry's face. And Hagrid looked at him with a practically beaming expression. "See?" he nodded at him. "Harry Potter, not a wizard, only if you were as quick to understand it like your brother, you two wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."

But Uncle Vernon had come back with a vengeance "Haven't I told you they're not going?" he hissed. "They're going to Stonewall High and be grateful for it. I've read those letters and they needs all sorts of rubbish things like spell books and wands and"

"If they want ter go, they'll go, and a great Muggle like you won't be able to stop them," growled Hagrid. "Lily an' James Potter's sons not goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad!" He was going on a full speech, "Their name's have been down in our records ever since they were born. They're goin' off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and they'll forget themselves. They'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had, Albus Dumbled-"

But Uncle Vernon cut him off by exploding rather angrily, "I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL To TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" he shouted. But from the look on Hagrid's face, he had just crossed a line.

He smacked the umbrella at his head and roared "NEVER," he thundered, "- INSULT- ALBUS- DUMBLEDORE IN- FRONT- OF- ME!" and pointed the broom at Dudley. who stood there frozen in horror. Muttered an unknown word and from the tip of the umbrella came out a violet light and hit Dudley. He started wailing and jumped on his spot I burst into laughter when I saw the pig tail that was poking a hole through his bottoms. I wish I had a camera now!

Uncle Vernon overreacted big time. He turned into a bear-metaphor- roared and pulled Dudley and Aunt Petunia to the next room and closed the door on us! Finally a reprieve from the Dursleys!

"Shouldn't have lost me temper," Hagrid said dishearteningly, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."

"That was awesome!" I praised.

Hagrid spoke up, obviously taking the praise and started rubbing his beard "Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he requested. "I'm... er... not supposed ter do any magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh all an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff... one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job.

"Why?" I asked curiously he surely had gone to Hogwarts, hadn't he?

"Oh, well... I was at Hogwarts me-self but I... er... got expelled," That must have been, emotional "Ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore." He spoke of this Dumbeldore with great praise and absolute loyalty. I really wanted to meet him now!

I think Harry was feeling particularly nose-y today, because he asked "Why were you expelled?" to Hagrid. Which caused me to smack him upside the head.

"Private, matters, Harry!" I told him.

You got told!

Hagrid sent me a grateful look and spoke up "It's getting' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," He said "Gotta get up to town, get all yer books an' that." He took of his large-ass coat and threw it at us "You can kip under that," he lent. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets."

What!?

Wonderful!

* * *

 **Next Chapter: Diagon Alley and Friends!**

 **After a while of thinking I decided to finish the revelation of our favorite wizards and then Diagon Alley. Originally it would have been The revelation and Diagon Alley together. Which would have made for a long ass chapter.**

 **In order to save you from the agony of reading all 10,000 estimated words. I have decided to publish this chapter at 5,000 estimated words.**

 **If you have any suggestions or want to make any criticism don't forget to review the story!**

 **And if you like the story and where its heading please F&F**


	4. Diagon Alley and Friends!

**Blergh!**

 **Welcome my lovely readers! To another chapter of 'Where Shadows Lie' a story so... I dunno, I run out of ideas to put on this rather boring prewriting! Lets get to the proper story shall we!**

 **Disclaimer: Check first episode**

* * *

 **Maxwell's PoV**

I woke up with the sound of Harry in the morning, he seemed to have taken up the mantle of talking to himself. Funny, I thought I was the insane twin around here. Stop stealing my thunder Harry!

"It was a dream, he told himself rather discouragingly. "I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard."

Pfft.

I decided to play with him for a while "That's a weird dream..." I said to him feigning sleepiness "Are you sure you're the sane one?" That earned me a poorly earned smack on the head. Now he was frigging abusing his own brother! Save me you imaginary person who I have no idea if existed!

Madness Overwhelming... Must stop.

Not.

Cant touch this!

Tap, tap, tap

I had almost burst into laughter when Harry's heart fluttered sadly upon hearing the tapping noise. I looked up from the place we were sleeping to notice that a friggin owl that had a newspaper on his beak was tapping on the window.

I, of course could not sleep until I heard Hagrid's weirdly soothing snores, thinking of the possibilites with all of this. Magic? How could you not be amazed? I had decided right that I would be the best of my year.

None may challenge me!

Angsty angsty angst angst! Stop it!

"All right," Harry mumbled, "I'm getting up." He got up and looked around the room dumfoundedly, when he realized that it was all real you should have seen Harry's face, it looked like a He laughed, smacked me upside the head-again- and ran to the window to let the owl in. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on a sleeping Hagrid. When he done all that he came back and attacked me!

"OW, Harry! Ow, help me! OW." The friggin owl was attacking me with its beak everywhere! Harry quickly ran to me and tried to shoo the owl away it shrieked at him and continued his attacking of me, "Harry, OW! You idiot, OW, you stupid owl! Get Hagrid!"

"Hagrid!" Harry called loudly. "There's an owl!"

"Pay him," He grunted, Yeah! Pay him for attacking me! OW! FRIGGIN STOP!

"What?" Oh I forgot! We don't have friggin money!

"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper." Hagrid explained, "Look in the pockets."

"OW! Okay that's it!" I made a grab for the owl, and surprisingly succeeded, then I noticed that Harry had taken out some weird looking coins from the pockets of Hagrids giant coat. Some of the coins were silver but the most of them were bronze and smaller from the silver ones. After Harry persuaded me to let go of the owl, it lifted one of its legs which revealed a leather purse.

"Give him five Knuts," instructed Hagrid sleepily.

Give him what!?

"Knuts?" Harry asked.

I pointed at the coins an shouted "Deez Knuts!" He had walked right into that one!

Don't judge me!

He smacked my hand away "Shut up Max!" and turned to the giant "Hagrid?"

"The little bronze ones." He said and rose up from the couch.

Harry poured the coins to the owls purse and succeeding with its mission the owl flew out the window but not without giving me another hard peck.

Dick...

"Best be Off," Hagrid said and came over to us, "Lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school."

"Um... Hagrid?" Harry asked weirdly. I looked over at him and saw him eyeing the wizard coins and realized what he was going to ask. When Hagrid made a noise to indicate he was listening Harry continued. "We haven't got any money... And you heard Uncle Vernon last night ... he won't pay for us to go and learn magic." He looked crestfallen and I put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Twin power!

"Don't worry about that," Hagrid said reassuringly, he rubbed his huge beard "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?" He asked.

Cool!

"But if their house was destroyed..."

"Good question! Unless you have a bank, how do we have money?

"That, there is Max" Hagrid chuckled upon seeing my shocked expression and continued "First stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank" He made the dramatic name-giving thing, god! "Have a sausage, they're not bad cold... An' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither."

When we started eating we continued to ask the questions.

"Tell us about Grinngots!" I pestered him.

"There's only on brand o' bank fer us wizards." He explained. "Gringotts. Run by goblins."

Our mouts fell open when he said that. Harry and I glanced at each other and I waited for his inevitable question.

"Goblins?" _called it_.

"Yeah... so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins," His eyes landed on me accusingly, Hey! "Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe... 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." He suddenly owned a proud demeanor, "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you two, gettin' things from Gringotts... knows he can trust me, see." He glanced at us checking if we were ready, "Got everythin'? Come on, then." He ushered us out of the little shack.

We got out of the little shack out to the rock-island place, the boat Uncle Vernon got scammed for was standin where it was left yesterday, full of water but there was no sign of another boat.

"How did you get here?" Harry asked clearly thinking the same thing and looking around for another boat.

"Flew," Hagrid said like it was obvious. But it was not obvious for us you see we kinda learned this stuff yesterday.

"Flew?" We asked simultaneously, it was hard imagining Hagrid fly with all his... Might. (Don't judge me)

"Yeah... But we'll go back in this." He pointed at the waterlogged boat, "Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh." When we settled down at the boat he looked a little reluctant and gave us one of his looks "Seems a shame ter row, though," He turned to us and asked, "If I was ter... er... speed things up a bit, would yeh two mind not mentionin' it to anyone at Hogwarts?" His eyes were pleading. I guess it has been a long time since he was allowed to do what he was doing now.

"Of course not," 3rd chorus twin thing of the day. I glared at him and Harry just shrugged innocently. Hagrid chuckled at our antics and proceeded to tap his umbrella on the side of the boat twice. The boat started moving on its own.

"Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Harry asked inquisitively.

"Spells... enchantments," explained Hagrid, unfolding the newspaper that I got pecked to death for. "They say there's dragons guardin' the high-security vaults.( _DRAGONS_!) And then yeh gotta find yer way... Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat."

He sat there reading the newspaper while I got to thinking. Can Dragons even be tamed? I would like one actually...

"Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered angrily and turned another page. Its just like the government.

Wait a second!

It _is_ the government.

For magic.

You get the point anyway.

"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked abruptly,

"I would hope so..." I replied absentmindedly.

"'Course," replied Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, O'course," That Dumbeldore dude must be the strongest wizard in the world, "But he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one. So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice."

"But what does the Ministry of Magic do?" He asked Hagrid.

"Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country." That's... underwhelming.

Very underwhelming actually.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Why?" Hagrid chastised Harry like it was obvious "Blimey, Harry, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone." That sheds some light into the story but what other thing they do?

Before I was able to ask questions the boat hit the pier and we clambered out quickly and started walking to the streets of London. There was something bothering me but I held it back until we reached the subway, where Hagrid reached for his coat and brought out something that looked like a tent and started knitting at it.

I looked at Hagrid and spoke up "But I read the supplies list." I ignored Harry when he muttered _of course you did._ "There's a lot of things there that you wouldn't see in London, or (I'm assuming you don't since we've never been there." Hagrid just chuckled and continued walking. "Can we even find these anywhere?"

Hagrid leaned towards us secretively and whispered;

"If yeh know where to go."

* * *

 **Realizations and Precautions**

When we got off the train Hagrid walked us through the streets of London, The giant man had proved to be an interesting traveling companion he had certainly came to London before but apparently he flew a lot because he had got stuck on most of the things he had encountered. And he had successfully ignored the weird looks he had been given.

He stopped abruptly and pointed at an old looking pub "This is it,"he said "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place." It didn't _look_ famous. Everyone walking in the street ignored it and walked by it as though it was invisible. It probably was invisible, to muggles anyway. The insides were not very better [ **Max's Suggestions to the idiot writer:** Not a word. Correct your grammar you fool!] it was old and dark, but bustling with activity. The chatter was there and several of the patrons seemed to know Hagrid cause they waved at him, and some of them peered weirdly at us.

The bartender came over to us and asked to Hagrid, "The usual, Hagrid?"

Hagrid seemed to mull it over but shook his head, "Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," He pointed over to us.

"Good Lord," said the bartender, upon seeing Harry's scar, "Is this... can this be?" The patrons of The Leaky Cauldron had gone completely still and silent. "Bless my soul," He whispered, "Harry Potter... what an honor." And grasped Harry's hand in a handshake. "Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back." He said frantically while he was shaking my brothers hand.

And immediately all of Leaky Couldron's patrons rose up from their seats and ran at my brother, shaking his hand. Only one or two of them considered shaking hands with me, It filled me with the same weird and horrible jealousy feeling when Hagrid talked about Harry at the shack. I had to bury it deep down for it to not show on my face. How could something my brother cannot control should affect our relations?

It should not.

I was suddenly ripped from my thoughts when Hagrid abruptly said "Professor Quirrell!" Proffesor? Like... "Boys, Professor Quirrell will be one of yer teachers at Hogwarts."

"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, recoiling from Harry's stretched hand, "c-can't t-tell you how p- pleased I am to meet you." He turned to me and tilted his head rather uncharacteristically. "And y-y-your b-brother!" He actually grasped my hand and shook it gently. This was our teacher?

This is _not_ good.

"What magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?" I asked the bumbling idiot.

"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," Professor Quirrell stammered out, He looked afraid of the subject he taught, but that might not be true since he looked like he was afraid of everything.. "N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He jabbed at my brother and laughed hesitantly. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." And vampires...

Fascinating...

After twenty minutes of nothing but handshaking, Hagrid finally managed to get us out of the main room of the pub to and empty looking room. It held nothing but a little dustbin and one of its walls were missing some bricks Hagrid sent a grin at us and started searching through his jacket.

"Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous." He prodded. "Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh... mind you, he's usually tremblin'."

"Didn't look like it." I bit out before I could stop myself, I poked Harry before he could say anything in that matter.

"Is he always that nervous?" He asked instead, sending me a concerned look.

"Oh, yeh. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience... They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag" Hags? "Never been the same since." He continued "Scared of the students, scared of his own subject now, where's me umbrella?" He continued searching through his coat.

Brilliant. Why keep an incompetent teacher when you can hire a perfectly new one!

Beats me!

I will have to make sure to stock up on spell books to make up for Proffesor Quirell's incompetency.

"Three up... two across" Hagrid muttered at the brick-less wall. "Right, stand back, yeh two."

He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.

The brick he had touched quivered, it wriggled, in the middle, a small hole appeared, it grew wider and wider, a second later we were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.

"Welcome," said Hagrid rather dramatically, "to Diagon Alley."

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

* * *

 **Gringotts and The Heritage**

He walked us through several amazing looking shops selling cauldrons (All Sizes. Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver. Self-Stirring, Collapsible,) an apothecary ('Dragon liver, seventeen Sickles an ounce, they're mad!') a pet shop, (Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy.) a broomstick shop, ('Look, the new Nimbus Two Thousand... Fastest ever.') robes shops, shops selling strange things.

But one of them managed to stand out particularly, it was plopped down to the middle of Diagon Alley with two roads going off from it to opposite directions. The large building was made out of snowy-white marble and down its domed roofs and up the large bronze gate, it held the sign;

"Gringotts,"

Thank you Hagrid.

He then pointed out to one of the goblins, which was shorter then both me and Harry, he-im assuming- held a clever, tan-coloured face and a pointy beard that you could poke someone's eyes with, he had long but skinny fingers and large feet to stand on, he bowed as we entered the bank, we stopped to read the huge poem that was written above the gateway to the main hall.

 _Enter, stranger, but take heed_

 _Of what awaits the sin of greed,_

 _For those who take, but do not earn,_

 _Must pay most dearly in their turn._

 _So if you seek beneath our floors_

 _A treasure that was never yours,_

 _Thief, you have been warned, beware_

 _Of finding more than treasure there._

Charming...

"Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," supplied Hagrid.

Another pair of goblins bowed as we entered the main hall. The hall was bustling with activity, about a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. We made for the main counter where a long haired, old-looking goblin was sitting.

"Morning," said Hagrid to the goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry and Max Potter's safe."

"You have their key, Sir?" The goblin answered with a thick voice.

"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid and searched through his pockets, _again_ for the first time he actually brought out something that wasn't going to do the job, they were huge dog biscuits, apparently Hagrid had a dog, weird right? The goblin that was working on the counter scrunched up his nose in distaste. Hagrid then pulled out a tiny golden key and gave it to the goblin,

"That seems to be in order." Goblin answered and gave the key to me, then he turned to Hagrid who had stuffed the dog biscuits to his pockets.

"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid cryptically, like he didn't want us to hear. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault You-Know-Which." He gave a letter that was labeled 'Top Secret.' Oh the pronoun game, I hate that game, please stop that game and tell us what something that is before we have to investigate the shit out of it.

Wait!

Where's the fun in that?

"Very well," he said, handing the letter back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!" He called for another goblin and he led us to one of the many doors in which Harry asked:

"What's the You-Know-What in the vault You-Know-Which?" Harry asked,

"Like he answer a question that is labeled 'Top Secret'" I told Harry who just shrugged sheepishly.

Griphook finally opened a door and led us to a cart on a rather far-going railway and gestured us to get on it. When we did as we were told he patted the cart and we were off. The journey was not a pleasant one the cart was swerving around everywhere and Hagrid looked like he was about to puke from the sudden movements, I leaned towards him and whispered "Please don't!" He just lifted a finger at me. Not sure which one.

Right the and there Harry had to ask a stupid question "I never know," _Of course you don't_ , "What's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?" That question was aimed at Hagrid but i cleverly decided to answer it for him instead.

"Stalagmite's are the standing ones and the Stalactite's are the hanging ones." He nodded understandingly. The idiot was probably going to forget the answer a day later and ask it again!

Friggin moron.

When the cart stopped Hagrid got out of his first, although 'got out' was a strong word, dragged himself out was the most likely one. He leaned onto the wall and called us to him. A grinning Griphook got out the cart after us and sauntered up to the door when he opened it, lots of smoke accompanied by some strange smells came out of the vault. But when the smoke cleared, What the vault showed us...

WOW!

There were little mountains made of large gold coins, fallowed by the hills of silver and then some bronze Knuts-he he- lining up to the door.

"All yours," called Hagrid happily from outside the vault.

Wow. This is amazing!

Harry and I were given medium-sized cloth purses to store our money in, I was-sadly- not allowed to take only gold coins because of some weird currency, as Hagrid had explained to us "The gold ones are Galleons, Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh two." he then turned to Griphook "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now," He requested please, and can we go more slowly?"

"One speed only," said Griphook, his voice sinister.

Goblins are dicks...

We then proceeded to vault seven hundred and thirteen, the cart was going with the speed of a race-car and making Hagrid's situation worse. I had smartly put Harry in front of him to take the brunt of the damage for me. But it seemed like he wasn't going to live to take the damage because he was leaning outside the cart down to the creeping dark below. I quickly pulled him back and made him sit down with the use of little force.

It was needed.

When we stopped, Griphook went to the key-holeless door and ordered us to stand back and proceeded to ran one of his long-nailed fingers along the lenght of a line on the wall, the door opened "If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," explained the Goblins.

"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" I face palmed. Dumb questions everywhere!

"About once a decade," Griphook said with a frightening grin. Pfft, that short amount of a time? You could have made it longer!

Hagrid had quickly came out of the vault then, stuffing something very small to his pockets. He saw us ready to ask questions and shook his head "Come on, back in this infernal cart," Hagrid ushered us to the cart, "And don't talk to me on the way back," He instructed, "It's best if I keep me mouth shut,"

When we got out of the cart onto the sunlight Hagrid had decided to split out from the group to get a refreshment, and Harry and i decided that it would be better if we split up, better individual experience that way. [ **Max's Corrections to the Idot Author:** I basically fuck off to do something else!]

All I could think about saying was.

Welcome to my Party...

* * *

 **The Friends and The Wand**

My first stop had been Flourish and Blotts to buy my books, and some extra ones to inform and practice to since, basically our most important Professor was the biggest coward alive. I had gotten; _Magical History,_ _Hogwarts: A History_ and _Quidditch Through the Ages_ for knowledge, _A Guide to Proper Potionmaking_ , _Jinxes for the Jinxed_ , _The Essential Defense Against the Dark Arts, Basic Hexes for the Busy and Vexed_ (I was neither, but I needed an arsenal!) _Curses and Counter-Curses_ for my upcoming self-training and _Book of Charms,_ _Transformation Through the Ages_ for the other cool sounding lessons.

I was coming packed!

Fear me!

No?

Okay...

I decided to go to the wand shop after that, I couldn't wait to do magic, and a wand seemed crucial for 'controlled' magic. Apparently there was difference. When I asked a woman where the wand shop was she said that "The best is the Ollivanders. Its right over there." And pointed over to an old looking shop in the middle of the street. The famous wand shop was very narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read _Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C_. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.

When I walked into Ollivanders I noticed that another boy was waiting in the shop. He was taller then me but also lankier. He had black hair that were short-cut and his bright blue eyes lit up with curiosity upon seeing me. We nodded at each other in greeting when we made eye contact.

"Theodore Nott." He extended a hand at me, which I took and shook. "First year?"

"Yeah." I replied weirdly after the silence stretched for a while i added "Maxwell Potter, but you can call me Max, everyone does."

"The brother of Harry Potter." He asked. I frowned but nodded. "The one who defeated the Dark Lord without doing anything." Okay. That was getting old rather quickly. Please stop it.

"How can you turn a meeting into basically acquiring a biography about my brother?" I asked, shocked.

"It's a special talent of mine." He replied sarcastiacally. Oh we were going to be good friends!

I looked around the shop, which had shelves _everywhere,_ and asked "How long do we have to wait?" He just shrugged.

And suddenly an old man appeared from behind the shelves. And stalked over to us. His white hair was disheveled and made him look a little mad, but his eyes were glinting off warm waves.

He turned to Theodore first, "Ah! Mr Nott. I was wondering when you'd come it seems like yesterday when your father came through those doors, his wand was amongst one of my finest." It was very apparent that Ollivander was buttering Theodore. Was his family rich or something? "And I believe you'll have the same abilities! Now lets see here..." He stalked towards one of the shelves and pulled out several thin boxes.

"Here!" He pulled out a white wooded wand "Yew and Unicorn Hair 12 inches slightly springy." He handed the wand over to Theodore and urged him to swing it. But when he tried to do it he plucked the wand out of his hand and threw the wand out to a corner, and pulled another from the boxes he brought over. "Ebony and Dragon Heartstrings 9 and a quarter inches, unyielding." When Theodore tried swinging it he plucked the new wand from his hand and searched for another one then he stopped and looked at him, before searching around the boxes more determinedly. "Here!" He said when he found the new wand for Theodore to try, "Hawthorne and Phoenix Feather, 10 inches, rigidity." He handed it to Theodore who blinked with surprise when the wand landed on his hand. He swung the wand and sparks flew out from its edge. I patted him on the back.

Must be an amazing feeling.

"Ah, I knew- I knew the moment I saw that wand that it would chose you Mr. Nott." It will choose him? Wow. It's like they're alive... But then his eyes landed on me. He was certainly about to start another speech when suddenly his hand that he put on my shoulder started sizzling and he drew it back with a surprised yelp.

"I-I'm sorry it just sort of happens." I apologized but he was too busy staring-at-nothing to accept the apology. He then jumped out of his trance and ran to the back of the room, forgetting to get the money for Theodore's wand, he sent a look at me that clearly meant 'what just happened' which cause me to just shrug.

When Ollivander reappeared it had at least been 10 minutes, he had returned with an old looking box on his hand that clearly held a wand, He held out a wand, it's handle was bent, it had carvings along the lower and slightly up from the handle, there was a dragon and clearly some wizards and witches judging by their wands, fighting. Up the carvings near the tip, the wand was curving around twice and atop it there was a slight glass frame, in it was something red and glow-y. where the glass frame ended, it curved twice again and there was nothing adorned to the tip [ **A.N. I am bad at describing wands** ] Ollivander held up the wand with a gloved hand, but I could see the gloves sizzling with fire.

"Fascinating! Its rather curious too, 15 inches, unyielding, black dyed Cherry and Dragon Heartstring, an unusual combination and could provide lethal results to those not quick to get used to it, This wand holds a rather fantastic story too! Been in the store for over a century, whenever I got someone to try it, the wand burned them, similar to like it did with you. Judging by the way you reacted to my unfamiliar contact, maybe it will choose you, Mr. Potter" How did he knew my name?

"Whats the story" I asked instead, eyeing the wand that was sizzling away at Ollivander's gloves.

"Of course Mr. Potter. Now it starts in Hungary with a rather nasty Dragon, some dark witch or wizards enhanced this dragon's power with dark magic. It took the brightest witches and wizards of their age to slay this dragon, and even then the Dragon managed to kill at least half of them. My father was at the country at the time, and when he heard of this Dragon and its slaying, he decided, that it would be best if there was at least something to remember this fine breed of Dragon by and went to its carcass he harvested its heartstrings and other valuable ingredients and made this wand" He pointed at the wand. "It is certainly powerful, even without mastering it that you'll be able to cast some magnificent spells." He paused for a little bit, glanced at me and continued. "If it chooses you Mr. Potter, it will be certain that you'll be destined for greatness should you choose to achieve it."

He held the powerful wand to me.

I took it immediately, I don't know what pushed me to do it. was it the determination to get out of my brothers shadow or just general curiosity. The answer to that question scared even me...

I expected it to burn, instead it just let out a relaxing coolness. "What are you waiting for? Swing it." He encouraged me. and I did exactly that. The wand let out little jets of fire and I was fascinated.

"Thank you. Sir."

"No. I must thank you Mr. Potter, for every wand I sell makes me remember the old days." He looked sentimental then, "How good were those days." He quickly composed himself "That'll be 7 galleons from you both."

That was odd.

* * *

 **Companions and Friends!**

"You like books." Theodore nodded at my giant pile of books.

"You'd be like me too if you grew up living with muggles." I shot back at him.

We had left Madam Malkin's and were heading for the pet shop, meanwhile Theo-he liked to be called- had explained to me about the wizards world. Apparently my brother and I were so famous that everyone knew we were living with horrible muggles and knew nothing about the wizarding world until now. To my moody realization of course. No one ever thought to come over for cake!

He had told me that Madam Malkin was the best for the school robes, and if you didn't want to look like a pompous ass which you'd be if you buy from _Twilfitt and Tatting's_ , Then how in Hogwarts, we were sorted into 4 houses Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff based on our personality traits, he had explained to me the reputation of every house but pointed out that I should read _Hogwarts: A History_ for neutral descriptions since he was favoring Slytherin. He had explained to me the dark reputation Slytherin had but I had quickly brushed it off (It doesn't mean you're all bad. look at you)

He was surprised to learn that today was my birthday and offered to get me something, I had refused but said that i'd like to be friends with him in Hogwarts depending on the sorting. Which didn't say how.

Weird.

While we were entering the pet shop ' _Magical Menagerie'_ he nodded understandingly, but when we entered the shop, we stopped short. Appalled by all we saw. The shop was very cramped and noisy, with every inch of the walls covered with cages. It held all kinds of animals; Poisonous Orange Snails, big Jewel-encrusted tortoise (that must be expensive, sleek black rats that looked very intelligent, owls, ravens, little and colorful wolf cubs, cats of every color, furry custard-colored puffballs that were humming loudly, A weird transforming rabbit and alot more.

The shop only held 3 customers. One of them had large feet, small dull eyes, long gorilla arms, short, bristly hair low on his forehead and broad shoulders, the other one was also large and very fat, with a thick neck. He had gorilla-like arms and a flat nose, and wore a pudding bowl-style haircut. And another boy, but he looked different from the others, for once he didn't look stupid. He was a slender boy with sleek white-blond hair slicked tightly back, cold grey eyes, a pale complexion and rather sharp, pointed features. The last one had a large eagle-owl on his shoulder.

"Malfoy." Theodore nodded at the blond haired boy.

"Nott." 'Malfoy' nodded back and turned to me, and sent a glance at my hair "Is there another one of you," Clearly, he met my brother.

"Maxwell Potter." I extended a hand at him, his eyes had widened in shock, "Yeah, the brother of Harry Potter, the one who vanquished the Dark Lord and all that." I couldn't help but say that last part. And it might have come a little bitter then it should've.

Oh well.

He took my hand and shook it, "Draco Malfoy." He introduced himself and gestured over to the idiot looking sidekicks behind him "These two bumbling baboons are Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle" He sized me up, obviously intimidated then turned to Theo, "What are you doing here then?"

"The painfully obvious job of buying a pet..." He answered sarcastically, while Malfoy glared at him. He did that sarcasm thing lot, i'm assuming it was his dangerous proximity of me, because no one knows what you can pick of from me even when spending a short amount of time with me.

I was ripped of from my muses when i felt a wetness on my ankle, i looked down to see what it was and realized that it was a scarlet colored wolf cub, licking my leg. I immediately took a liking to it, sounds rather lame, but fuck it!

I grabbed the cub by its neck and gently lifted it up "And I've already found mine..." I pointed at the wolf that was now licking my hand.

Malfoy quickly disregarded my newly found pet with a wave of his hand as we walked to the counter with our group, "So..." Malfoy started, "Potter, do you know which house you're going to be in?"

I shrugged, "As long as its not Hufflepuff." I copied Theo from our earlier talk with a smirk.

But Malfoy must have thought the same because he nodded, "From my earlier talk with your brother he didn't seem to... Pleased to meet me."

"My brother can get a bit... Protective." I supplied, "Did you insult anyone that he happened to care about?"

"There was that oaf Hagrid. I think." He said with a thoughtful expression

"There you have it, you probably wont get in his good books for ever now..."

"He's probably going to be in Gryffindor, judging by his bravery to the point of stupidity." Malfoy said with a smirk.

"We'll see." I was more worried about my house.

We _will_ see...

* * *

 **Doubts of a Brother**

The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry, Hagrid and I made our way back down Diagon Alley. I had said my goodbyes to Theo and Malfoy and wished to see them at Hogwarts. I noticed that Harry wasn't as talkative as he was compared to this morning. But i had pestered Hagrid with all that I learned. But I was quite embarrassed about how much people were gawking at us on the Underground, laden as we were with all our funny-shaped packages, with a snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry's lap. and my wolf cub sauntering happily behind me.

"Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he suggested and we nodded.

He bought Harry and I hamburgers and we sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Harry kept looking around. I knew what he was feeling, an afternoon on the wizarding world and everything started looking strange.

Looked like Hagrid had noticed my brother moodiness because he asked "You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet, compared to your brother" he jabbed at me, we had taken to doing that when he spotted my wolf, he seemed to think it was funny.

I however made him eat his words.

"Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander..." The old ass! He didn't say anything about me! "But I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry... I mean, the night my parents died."

"Don' you worry, Harry." He encouraged him, "You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you two will be just fine. just be yerselfs." He threw a pointed look at my books "I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts... I did... still do, 'smatter of fact."

He helped us on to the train that would take us back to the Dursleys, much to my great disappointment then handed us an envelope. Which I responded by catching two of them at once

"Harry can't be trusted with these." I explained upon seeing his weird look. He just laughed and started:

"Yer tickets fer Hogwarts, " he explained. "First o' September... King's Cross... it's all on yer tickets. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with Harry's owl, she'll know where to find me... See yeh soon you two!"

I watched Hagrid blink out of sight and sat back down on my seat.

I gave Harry a look which he returned.

"It Begins..."

* * *

 **Next Chapter: Saw the future on your face...**

 **Finally it is over!**

 **If you have any suggestions or suggestive criticism please be sure to review!**

 **If you like this story and approve of where its heading please F&F**

 **Blergh!**


	5. I Saw the future In Your Eyes

**Welcome my readers, to another chapter of 'Where Shadows Lie' I bid you a good read.**

 **Disclaimer:** **Check first episode**

* * *

 **Maxwell's PoV**

Our last days with Dursleys passed in a blur. Expect for feeding us they ignored us with the expection of Dudley that is, he just ran from us whenever he happen to have stumbled on us. Which I took no advantage of!

I may have chased him across the whole house but that's not taking advantage! It's taking revenge!

Don't judge me!

Harry and I didn't mind the solitude that had been given to us, we had spent all the time in our room reading our books. I didn't show the spell books to Harry, but why I didn't know. It probably had to do with this immense desire to outshine him, it was clear to me that they thought Harry would be the superior out of the two of us, I mean who wouldn't. He had vanquished the strongest dark wizard of this century. But I would prove them wrong. They'll see.

They will see!

From the books I bought, I had learned about the most popular wizarding sport in the world Quidditch, played on BROOMS that have BRANDS. The object of the game was to score more points than your opponent. Each goal was worth ten points and catching the Snitch was worth one-hundred fifty points. The game ended when the Snitch is caught by one of the seekers, or an agreement is reached between the captains of both teams. Some games could go on for many days if the Snitch was not caught. Apparently the record, according to Quidditch Through the Ages, was three months. I also learned about the flying lessons they give the first years on Hogwarts. Which had me the more excited about all of this.

Then I read all about Hogwarts, who had taken precautions upon precautions to insure the safety of its students. The lessons, the surprisingly short explanation on the sorting, the houses and their reputations. I learned that the pictures also moved, because on _Hogwarts: A History_ they kept a teachers list with their pictures and it was updating with every change in Hogwarts Professors.

Cool right?

I had also learned a lot of defensive, offensive and merely helpful spells before-term. It had been easy, once I gotten trying them. But there were not a lot of willing guinea pigs for me to test on, so I made them! had walked through the streets carrying one of her cats-that might have been the one that attacked me- that had lost all of its hair. Dudley, on one morning had suddenly fallen from his chair, laughing his ass off but in truth he was being tickled to death by my magic, I had stopped it later on though, to avoid detection. Then the last and the best! Piers who had walked around like he had legs made of Jello for the rest of last week!

You can imagine how that went!

Hilarious.

Then there was the matter of my wolf cub! I had named him-yes he was a male- Rian. Dursleys weren't happy with seeing him, but what could they do? Because When they try to get close to him he just growls at them like he doesn't want them there.

Kinda like me!

"Max!" Harry ripped me from my thoughts with his completely unnecessary shouting.

"Why are you shouting!?" I yelled at him.

Smooth.

"You haven't been listening to me at all you basket-case!" _Oh._ "We need to ask the Uncle Vernon if he can take us to Kings Cross."

Pfft.

I scoffed, "Like he'll do anything we ask for after what Hagrid did," after a while i added, "With all the justification on the world."

"But we must try!" he insisted.

"But we must try." I agreed hesitantly. It was true what he said. How could we get to Kings Cross without them?

We don't...

So I carried myself downstairs as slow as I could and went down to the living room where the family of living nightmare fuels were watching a quiz show. Harry cleared his throat to let them know we were there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room. I so wanted to make after him but after a look from Harry I realized that now was not the time to get childish.

But I loved to get childish!

"Er..." Harry started, "Uncle Vernon?" When he made a noise to indicate he was listening he continued, "Er... We need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to.. To go to Hogwarts." When Uncle Vernon made another noise that made me annoyed, Harry once again continued "Would it be all right if you gave us a lift?"

"No it wouldn't, but they will do it anyway." I think there was a veiled threat there somewhere, all the better for me!

Uncle Vernon just ignored me and nodded, which meant yes, which meant my little implications work.

Yey!

But Uncle Vernon was entering a spat spree, because he started yapping, "Funny way to get to a wizards' school," He snorted, "The train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?"

"Actually, those are used in India." I piped up. When he sent me a vicious glare I just grinned.

He turned his attention back to Harry "Where is this school, anyway?" He asked.

"I don't know," said Harry and turned to me.

"We just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven," I explained to him, when I saw Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia staring at me blankly I spoke up again, "Why are you staring at me? Do I have something on me face?" I checked my face while Harry snorted.

"Platform what?" They asked in unison.

"Nine and three-quarters." I repeated while stressing each syllable like they were stupid. They kinda were, but that's not the point here.

"Don't talk rubbish," snapped Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters."

"Well, it is a wizarding world that is kept secret from your people, so I would understand if they built a whole secret compartment to avoid detection." It was easy! Why didn't they see that?

But Uncle Vernon wasn't listening because he spoke up immediately "Barking," he spat, "Howling mad, the lot of them. You'll see. You two just wait. All right, we'll take you and your brother to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother."

"Why are you going to London?" Harry asked like he was trying to tie a friendly bond with the Dursleys. The mere thought of it was impossible! Don't waste your breath brother. And why am I still talking on my head? I'll stop now.

"Taking Dudley to the hospital," growled Uncle Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."

 _Rejected!_

* * *

 **Cross of the Kings! no wait its backwards! NOOOOO!**

We reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Vernon, in a suspicious fit of kindness, had put both our trunks and cages and all that to some carts and was now pushing Harry's.

The cause of his faux kindness had become apparent when he stopped dead in his tracks while facing platforms 9 and 10 and spoke with a grin that was threatening to burst of from his face, "Well, there you are, boys." He spoke smugly, "Platform nine... platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?"

I weirdly decided that it was my time to shine and said "Magic." with a sing-song voice. Uncle Vernon checked to see if anybody was listening and turned to glare at me, but he seemed to have remembered something because his grin turned nastier.

"Have a good term,.."

He laughed the entire way to his wretched car.

Harry looked like he was about to have a panic attack, but I gestured for him to fallow me. If my poor, idiot brother took his time to read _Hogwarts: A History_ he would know that to enter Platform Nine and Three Quarters all you had to do was walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten, I didn't know why, and the chance to crash the most painful crash that has ever been crashed, was at least fifty percent but...

YOLO!

"...Packed with Muggles, of course..." We heard a woman chat about.

Harry and I turned to the source of the sound and saw that it was the most redheaded family that I ever saw. Their mother, a plump woman was walking four boys and a little girl through the platforms. All their luggage was like us. Trunks and obnoxiously weird pets...

"Now, what's the platform number?" said the mother. _There are more platforms?_

"Nine and three-quarters!" piped the little girl, _again_ red-headed, who was holding her mothers hand, "Mom, can't I go... " So she was not on our year...

"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet." He shushed her and turned to the eldest of the boys, "All right, Percy, you go first." She sent him off with a warm smile. The oldest marched toward platforms nine and ten like I had pointed out to Harry, but he so stubbornly refused to listen. I honestly don't know how we are related. Other then being twins that it.

"Fred, you next," the matriarch said, turning to one of the twins.

"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?" He was definitely Fred.

"Sorry, George, dear." She apologized the now giggling twin.

"Only joking, I am Fred," _Called it!_

Soon after Fred and his twin George had disappeared Harry nudged me and went to the woman.

"Excuse me," He started and paused.

"Hello, dears," she gave him a smile, "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too." She pointed at the smallest of the boys, he was about as tall as the twins, and he had a lot of their facial attributes, basically lots of freckles and red hair.

"Yes," stammered Harry. "The thing is..."

"Can you please tell us how to gt into the platform?" I asked politely, upon seeing Harry looking at me weirdly, I leaned towards him and whispered, "What? I can be polite too!"

The woman gave a hearty chuckle, "Not to worry. All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron." She ushered us and Ron gave us an hestiant wave.

Upon seeing Harry's hesitance, I snorted and quickly walked towards the barrier and didn't stop until I was about to hit it.

There I was.

Platform Nine and Three Quarters.

 **Home...**

* * *

 **The Train of Doom! Or just Hogwarts... Or both!**

Harry soon joined me on the platform where a scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with a lot people, all wizards. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express. Behind us where the barrier had been was an iron-clad archway, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it.

It was done.

I leaned towards Harry to get my voice to him over the chattering crowd, "I'm off to go find my friends, don't wait for me." He looked hesitant but nodded anyway, like he'd be able to stop me. I quickly crouched down on the cart that was carrying my trunk, to the level of Rian and opened his cage. And left Harry where he was.

I climbed on the Steam-Engine train and quickly started looking in the compartments for familiar faces. I was quick to notice that a lot of people were staring at me and whispering to each other. Did they find about my brother being in the train? Must be... Why else they would pay any attention to me.

That might have been more bitter then i inteded it to be.

And yes I can adjust my level of bitterness.

I have specific number of skills...

"MAX!" I jumped almost ten feet when I heard a familiar voice right at my friggin ear. Only then I noticed that I had abruptly stopped on the middle of the hallway of the train and staring at nothing, goddammit! I had done one of those! Which allowed Theodore to sneak up on me.

"Hello Theodore." I said to him while acting like nothing happened.

"Hello Maxwell." He said with a smirk clearly noticing my intentions.

I decided I wanted to play this game further, "So... Which compartment are you sitting at?" I asked him.

He pointed to the compartment right next to us. Causing me to do the most painful face-palm that has ever been done.

"That looked like it hurt." He pointed out ever so helpfully.

"Lets get into the compartment before my desire to hurt you gets the better of me." He just smirked and got into the compartment. When I fallowed him in I noticed that the compartment was full of people. Draco and his gang, a short, pug-faced girl (who was sitting uncomfortably close to Draco) a big(er) girl that clearly acted as Malfoy's baboon's role for the pug-faced girl, then there was blonde girl sitting down by the window on the ground, she was tall and skinny, a tall, dark-skinned boy with high cheekbones and long, slanting eyes. He seemed to think highly of himself, like everybody in this compartment.

Then there was another girl, who was watching me closely she was pale, had brown hair that was curling down to her waist, untamed. Her brown eyes bore into my green ones and I nodded at her aimlessly.

Damn it brain! Stop turning into mush!

"Potter." Draco nodded at me in greeting. Everybody in the compartment had fallen into silence and waiting for my reaction.

"Maxwell Potter, at your service." I bowed to the others, those that had the capacity to understand, laughed and smirked. I turned to Draco with a smirk of my own and added "Malfoy." while nodding at him.

Theo clapped his hands together and spoke up, "Well! We need to give our introductions to our new friend here don't we?" Some of them made noises of agreement. "That is Tracey Davis, Half-blood." He added that last part with some fake-contempt and the blond haired girl sneered at him, ignoring her he continued, "Pansy Parkinson, and Millicent Bullstrode." He had pointed at the pug-faced girl and her lackey. "Daphne Greengrass." He pointed at the Brunette that had me entranced a moment ago, she smiled politely at me and I nodded back. And finally, "Blaise Zabini." He pointed at the boy with the slanted eyes who nodded at me in greeting.

"So Potter..." The pug-faced girl- Pansy, spoke up with something close to a sneer, "Know which house you'll be in yet?" I noticed that she was looking for a reason to dislike me, that game could be played with two people miss!

"No. Though I imagine no one knows that yet." I remembered what Theo said to me in Diagon Alley, "Though by the looks of you lot, you'll be all sorted in Slytherin." I smirked and and added, "I imagine there will be no Hufflepuffs here." That earned me a few more smirks. But not from Pansy, who was just staring at me with contempt that I didn't know why I deserved.

The blonde girl snorted, "He'll fit in just fine."

I slumped down next to Tracey with Rian-who got a lot of awe-filled looks- and whispered to her, "She doesn't like me."

"She doesn't like anything the ugly git." She whispered back, "Except Draco." She added with a knowing glance her way, she was right, Pansy had draped herself across Draco like a second jacket and whispering something into his ear.

Daphne spoke up, "So I heard that you were living with muggles," She said inquisitively, "How were they?" She asked.

I snorted, "Aside from not telling us about the magic world, stuffing me and my brother in a cupboard, starving us, threatening my brother if I didn't fall in line to their orders... They were not that bad." After that horrible lie I scrunched my face and added, "Given the opportunity I would probably hex the lot of them to death." Seeing the disbelief in their faces I added, "Yeah, that bad..."

The journey continued with subjectless chatter after that, and was quickly opened up to more subjects when a woman, carrying a cart full of weird foods "Anything off the cart, dears?" Crabbe and Goyle had immediately risen up with with Bullstrode quickly on their tail. I waited for them to fill their pockets and finish before rising up and checking the wizarding foods, they were no ordinary chocolate bars or jelly beans here. There were, Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans (like _every_?), Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands and million others I couldn't read,

In the end I decided to only buy alot of Chocolate frogs before sitting down on my place next to Tracey who had gotten a little box full of chocolate frogs, the whole compartment had been filled with the smell of pasties and chocolate, not a bad combination mind you!

Everyone in the compartment had gotten over the shock of seeing me and dissolved into chatters while eating their snacks, Draco was telling a joke that Parkinson seemed to find the most hilarious thing in the world while Bullstrode, Crabbe and Goyle were betting on Bertie Botts Every flavor beans contest. And I was drooling over some cards that came with the chocolate frogs.

I had gotten Armando Dippet, Bran the Bloodthirsty, Yardley Platt, Andros the Invıncıble, Artemisia Lufkin, Eargit the Ugly, Agrippa, Albus Dumbeldore (cool!) all four of the founders, Babayaga (a child eating hag) Vlad Drakul(most famous vampire in existence.) and his son Vlad the Impaler. We had talked about their histories, most notable one being Dumbeldore no one in the compartment seemed fond of him but overall he sounded like a nice man.

"I have some business to attend to," Said Draco cutting me off from my disgusted speach about Urg the Unclean. All of us nodded and he left.

Before we were able to continue our conversations however the compartment door opened again. Revealing four senior students who were wearing Hufflepuff badges. Their ringleader had blonde hair and a scrawny build, the girl behind him was a brunette and had a short but slim build, the other two behind them were just muscular blokes who looked every bit the Crabbe and Goyle.

He looked down at us and smirked, "Well well! Ickle Slytherin firsties, Check this out." He kicked one of the trunks.

"Leave Bones!" Daphne shouted at him.

But he just shook his head while smirking and spoke up, "No no little Miss Greengrass. Cant do that. You see i had a little idea cooking up this entire summer break. You and your little group will sorted into Slytherin no doubt, me and my friends here are just here to unsure that you tyrannical rule has been stopped! With your supremacist ideas broken down and all." He had certainly come prepared the boy, he was creating an air of doubt among the inexperienced first years already, "So me and a couple of my friends are going to ensure that you lot obey our orders to the fullest. Give us galleons, some food, valuable books, do Hufflepuff first year's homework and all that." He must have deemed it necessary because he added, "If you disobey us we will hex you and your lot to the next school term!"

He had the air of Dudley just smoking out of him him and by the looks of his gang they were no better. Smirking at the frightened faces they caused. But groups like that stuck like a damn leach if you not purged them out immediately.

Meanwhile 'Bones' was continuing his little speech, "...And if you think about running to your parents about this... My mother is a senior member of Wizengamot and has the power to send all your wretched Death Eater families away to Azkaban!" It was apparent that he had hit a cord, because all signs of defiance that were left in the faces of the people in the compartment faded. with the absence of Malfoy's lackeys this group didn't stand a chance.

But they had me.

I immediately got to my feet ignoring Tracey that was trying to bring me down, I spoke up, "Leave."

His self-assured demeanor became shaken a little before he regained it, he scoffed at my order and moved right at my level, I was tall enough to come face to face with him, a feet that probably unnerved him more. "Who might you be? I think you need some special treatment."

"Maxwell Potter." His eyes widened in shock and I continued with the bolstering of supporting faces from the friends in the compartment, "And I dare your mother to find something incriminating about my parents." His self-assureds was peeling away more and more. And it was becoming visible even to his followers. That's what you had to do with these type of groups, even a show of defiance from one person and their whole dissolve of ruling from fear faded.

He suddenly looked angry, "You think I need my mother do order around a first year who had, until now nothing to do with the magic world?" He was pulling out his wand when he was saying this.

The red-hot fury that only Dudley could spark out of me suddenly slammed into me and the whole compartment suddenly started smelling like smoke. When I regained some of my composure I saw that Bones' robes were smoking where I was staring at and it was apparent he had noticed that because he was staring at me with a look filled with fear and hesitance.

Suddenly a voice boomed through the whole train "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately." and an idea came to my mind.

"I could place you in a full body-lock curse and leave you in this train under an invisibility cloak that one of us surely has." My words spilling out the hot anger that was bubbling through my whole body, "You'll only last three days I reckon." I pulled out my wand, its unique features mirroring my tempered state.

"Yo- I'll make you regret this!" He said and quickly ran out of the compartment.

Almost immediately the whole compartment rang with claps.

Theo slapped his hand on my back, _hard,_ "Dude! That was awesome!" The others agreed wholeheartedly, even Pansy, who had loathed me unreasonably from the start was staring at me filled with awe.

But it looked like the celebrations wouldn't last long because the train came to a screeching stop.

"We must be quick or we'll be late!" Daphne shouted immediately.

Everyone nodded.

Wouldn't want to start the term being late to your sorting.

* * *

 **Arrival**

We had put on our robes quickly and spilled put of the compartment to the hall where it was already emptying, people had pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform lit by nothing but a lantern Hagrid was holding, he was apparently waiting for us because when he saw us he beckoned us over and started leading the other first years. Malfoy was already there and he was waiting for us farthest way from Hagrid.

"C'mon! Max! What took ye so long?" Hagrid called over and looked through the other first years, when he seemed satisfied he spoke up again, "All here! Lets go we're already be'ind 'n schedule!" He lad us through a slippery and narrow road it was almost unspeakably dark and full of thick trees. No one spoke along the entire journey. The only sound coming from the crowd was a plump boy sniffing once or twice, and a girl looking remarkably similar to Bones angrily huffing at my way.

"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over at us over his giant shoulder, "jus' round this bend here." His words had been accompanied by us turning the corner and causing a lot of awe- filled sounds from all of us. The stuffy path had suddenly opened up to the edge of a great black take. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting by the shore. Our group had stayed together the entire way there, causing Harry to throw me some angry and unbelieving looks that I didn't know what I did to deserve. I was fallowed to my boat by Theodore, Daphne and Zabini. Hagrid had shouted to check if we were all settled and roared for the little fleet to move. The fleet of little boats started to move off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as a glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead with awe and excitedly. It towered over all of us as we sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; we all bent our heads and the little boats carried us through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliffs face. We were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking us right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where we clambered out onto the sharp rocks and pebbles.

"Oy, you there!" Hagrid called to the unreasonably sad boy "Is this your toad?" he asked and presented him with a little green toad,

"Trevor!" he cried out blissfully, holding up both of his hands, I could hear Draco scoffing mockingly in the distance. We fallowed Hagrid and clambered up a passageway in the rock after his lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.

We walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door that opened up to the school.

"Everyone here?" Hagrid checked, "You there, still got yer toad?"

He then raised his gigantic fist that was the size of a sledgehammer and knocked three times on the castle door.

 _Here we go..._

* * *

 **I am really sorry if this chapter is short. I had some issues writing it and forced to cut it short.**

 **Anyway! If you like the story and approve of where its heading F&F**

 **And if you want to make suggestive criticism dont forget to review.**

 **Thank you all so much for your support in me writing this story and!**

 **BLERGH!**


	6. The Unforseen Rift

**I am so sorry! Really this chapter was long overdue and I just got caught up in school and other useless story ideas! After this chapter my main focus will be this story and it will probably change when I finish the first of the books...**

 **Anyway enjoy the story!**

 **Alpha Drakon:** **Thank you for the review! And know that I have taken all your suggestions to heart! Sorry for the delay! If you read very carefully you might get the hidden meaning behind the previous chapter! The reason for the lack of interactions between Harry and Max is Maxwell being too caught of with to joy of having friends and Harry's 'Noble Standards' he doesn't go near Maxwell's Slytherin group... Enjoy the rest of the story! And again sorry for the delay.**

 **Disclaimer:** **Check first chapter.**

* * *

 **Maxwell's PoV**

The door opened immediately opened and revealed a very serious looking woman. She was tall-though nowhere near as tall as Hagrid- and a rather severe-looking woman, she had black hair that was tied up in a no-nonsense bun on top of a literal witches hat, like literally it was bent on the top and everything. She had a very prim expression and looked like she could kill someone by just looking at them. I recognized her as Professor McGonagall from _Hogwarts: A History._ She taught transfiguration and was the Deputy Headmistress for Hogwarts while also being the Head of the House for Gryffindor. The Gryffindor's was lucky it seem, having the Deputy Headmistress as Head of the House...

Though from the looks of her she didn't take any shit from anybody...

"The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid introduced. (Very helpful Hagrid...)

"Thank you, Hagrid." The Professor said and turned her attention to us, scrutinizing each of us with careful glances-though her gaze stayed on Harry and I longer- then continued "I will take them from here." She opened the door wider to accommodate us and gestured inside and all of the first years immediately made for the door and got inside. When I entered the castle my breath was instantly caught in my throat. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches that reminded me of Grinngots and a marble staircase facing us led to the upper floors. When I looked up I noted that the ceiling was too high to make out.

But my observation of the entrance room was cut short by Theo tugging me forward -rather rudely might I add!- towards the stairs. But I was tugged over again, but it was by Harry this time. He brought me down (I am taller than him! Sweet!) and hissed, "What are you doing with Malfoy and his group!?"

What!?

I, enraged by him manhandling me around then demanding what was I doing with one person, when previously we had agreed that we should make our own friends. I crossed my arms and made my own demand, "What do you mean 'What are you doing with Malfoy' !?" It was a whisper, but it didn't go unrecognized because many of the first years were anxious and fearful, and because of that there wasn't many people talking.

Soon enough there were people giving us curious looks, recognizing us then starting whispering among themselves. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Malfoy smirking at my brother, and whispering something to his two bumbling lackeys that made them snicker. I immediately come to the conclusion that when they left their destination was my brother's compartment, and judging by his anger, it didn't go that well.

Still doesn't give him the reason of him deciding who i'm being friends with.

"He's a bad person!" He whisper-yelled. "His whole family was in Slytherin! He will probably be in there too!" The red-headed boy near him nodded fiercely and spoke up.

"My dad says Malfoy's family was the first person to come to our side when You-Know-Who fell." He gossiped. A gossip-monger... Really Harry? The best you can do? "You shouldn't make friends with him!

Just as I was about to answer Professor McGonagall interrupted, "If you're quite done Potter, and Potter (Heh heh) enter the classroom!" She said sternly, and gestured at the door. So I whirled away from my brother and went to stand near Theo. I would give him his ass-whooping later.

After ushering all of us in she turned and addressed all of the first years "Welcome to Hogwarts," She began. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room." She stopped a moment for us to take all that in and continued "The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." She punctuated that sentence by giving pointed looks to some students. I was fine with my appearance unlike some other people - _cough Harry cough_ -

"I shall return when we are ready for you," Informed the Professor. "Please wait quietly." She gave us a last stern glance and left the room.

With style...

When the door close I immediately made for Theo's side, ignoring Harry calling after me.

"So how does the sorting happen? They're being incredibly vague about this..." I asked him.

He just snorted and opened his mouth to speak but several screaming noises from other people in the room drowned out his answer. We immediately searched for the cause of the commotion

Everyone around us gasped.(Seriously? Are we in an anime?) Twenty or so ghosts streamed through the back wall. All-white and spooky Like they just got out of an casper movie set to introduce themselves. But the insane theory was immediately deposed when I noticed that their attention was not on us but on a very steamy conversation about what I assumed was an another ghost.

"My dear Friar," The one wearing some pompous dress elegantly addressed his fellow ghost, "Haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost" But his scolding was cut short when we finally caught his attention. "I say, what are you all doing here?" He demanded with dignity.

Pfft.

I think he confused us with some nobleman!

 _Outrageous_!

The ghost looked on as no one answered him.

He had some patience, I was already starting to fidget.

"New students!" said the ghost that was getting scolded, Beaming at everyone on the room "About to be Sorted, I suppose?" He asked cheerily. Upon seeing a couple of people nod he continued with the same cheer, "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!"

 _Suuuuuuuuuuure_...

Everyone jumped as another voice rang through the hall. "Move along now," Professor McGonagall ordered the ghosts, and they turned and left through the walls. She quickly turned to us, "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." She informed and eyed everyone again, seemingly satisfied she put us all in a line and ordered us to fallow her.

The gates to the Great Hall swung open.

Here we go...

* * *

 **Next Chapter** **Choice is an Illusion.**

 **Hello my peeps! Sorry that chapter was so very short. I was just having a major Writer's block on this one. I recently started an Adventure Time FF so I could blow of some steam but completely forgot about this one! I am so sorry, but I am continuing this story do not worry it's not abandoned.**

 **I just need to get back into the fandom which is proving very hard to accomplish.**

 **Just have this chapter as a filler! Some conflict and falling out between Harry and Max and Malfoy driving a rift between brothers! Next chapter ill make the sorting and the first day on Hogwarts! Hope you'll stick around to see it.**

 **Anyway this is getting way to long! If you like the story and where its heading please F&F and review! Any kind of criticism is appreciate (except hate)**


	7. Update

Hello people, welcome to this very needed update.

First of all, 2 years is a very long time to make an update, and I am sorry that it does not come with a chapter, but there is really no other way since I have been lacking in willingness to write this story as you can see from my 2 year absence from it.

You might also notice that _I actually have some grammar_ now, weird right? Well, about that little thing; all of the previous chapters before this update has gone through updates on grammar and may actually be readable now... I am really grateful for the people that have read it in its previous state, maybe you will find more enjoyment in its revised state.

Over the course of the 2 years I have been away from the story, I have gone through tons of stories and learned from them. Noticing how I actually gained inspiration made me realize the destructive notion of starting new stories, and as you can see the rising hierarchy in all of my stories, it's a vicious cycle.

That is not to say that this story is abandoned, I am sure that I will return to finish it in one way or another, with fresh ideas and better writing ability to go along with it. I may lose my entire reader-base, but inspiration is a hard thing to come by and I can't write worthy chapters without it.

It was good catching up with you all, rest assured the tale of Maxwell Potter is far from over...


End file.
